


Coda

by Motif



Series: Reprise/Coda [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other, Post-Pacifist Route, Reprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-06-05 21:03:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6723355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Motif/pseuds/Motif
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What comes after the Reprise?</p>
<p>It's been a while. Frisk's managed to make a life for themselves in this new timeline, secure in the knowledge that this time, there are no loose ends. But when you're obsessed about someone, it can be a difficult habit to break.</p>
<p>Rated Explicit for Frisk/Asriel smut, Mature otherwise. Forewarning: Timeline shenanigans means Frisk's gender is a quantum superposition, mostly because I thought it was funny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coda, Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a series that I've been meaning to share for a while, I should be able to edit and post new chapters pretty quickly, so stay tuned! I hope you enjoy this, it was a wild ride for me.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Frisk leaned against the wall, looking out into the darkness, panting heavily. Was it too late?

This was Frisk’s last chance. If it was already over…

Far off in the distance, a single light came on. Asriel. He was looking down, motionless.

Then, he held a microphone up to his mouth.

“You guys have been incredible!”

A thousand voices called out, screaming and cheering. The stage lights came back up, flooding Asriel and his band in shimmering white light. Frisk could see that the entire venue was packed solid.

“Seriously, you’ve been an amazing audience! Thank you all so much for coming out to see us tonight!”

Someone in the crowd started to chant, the rest of them picking it up in moments.

“Prince Az! Prince Az! Prince Az!”

Even from all the way at the back, Frisk could see Asriel blush, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Ah, you guys! Don’t forget, we’re all Star Blazing!” Asriel gestured to his backing, and then pointed up at the control booth above the audience. “And shoutouts to the incredible Napstablook for running front of house! He’s on loan from MTT Tonight, so let him know you appreciate it!”

The crowd roared. Up on the stage, Asriel was confident, charismatic, as though he had been born for this. Frisk couldn’t help but smile at his goofy grin.

“Alright! We’re gonna see you all off! Everybody have a safe trip home, and remember, stay determined! And now, our last song of the set! Hopes and Dreams, Save the World!”

Asriel practically skipped over to his guitar stand as the crowd started to go completely nuts. The other guitarist plucked out a familiar riff as Asriel slipped the guitar strap carefully over his horns and adjusted himself, walking back onto center stage. The drummer picked up the beat, the crowd died down in anticipation, and Asriel flashed his winning smile as he strummed the lead-in to the big start. Right on cue, the stage lights exploded into a rainbow of colour. The notes rang out over the screaming crowd.

***

An hour later, Frisk had managed to sneak backstage. There wasn’t a monster on the surface who didn’t know who Frisk was, so all they usually had to do to get past security at a given event was just ask. Turns out, gigantic monsters made for good security personnel. Even if they were mostly gentle giants, any eight foot monster tended to look intimidating when outfitted with a tight black ‘security’ tee-shirt and an earpiece.

Besides, Frisk had a reason to be there. They were family. Kind of. It was kind of a grey area.

Maybe that was why the guard had given Frisk a sly wink as they went past. There were those rumours floating around, as to exact nature of the relationship between Frisk and Asriel. Well, let them speculate.

Rumours or no, Frisk had set up shop on the couch in Asriel’s room. He was taking a while to make it back here after the show, unsurprisingly. To pass the time, Frisk was checking out some overnet posts about the show. Asriel, and his band, Star Blazing, were really starting to take off. Everyone was raving about them, sharing photos and blurry videos of the performance.

Frisk stirred as they heard some kind of commotion outside.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds great. Gimme like… two hours, ok? I’ll catch up. Hello? You still there?” The door creaked open, and Asriel backed in, phone tucked between his head and shoulder, gesturing at someone on the other side of the door before closing it gently. “Mmmhmm. Yeah. I can’t wait to see the footage, it’s going to be great. Okay, listen, I gotta go, so what I want you to do is email me the whole thing, and I’ll go over it tomorrow morning and let you know what I think, okay? Okay. Alright, thanks. Bye.”

Asriel tossed the phone down onto a bench and took a deep, calming breath, leaning against it for a moment, before he straightened up and peeled off his shirt, carefully maneuvering it around his horns and dropping it on the floor. He immediately slipped off his shorts, kicking them aside, revealing white briefs that blended almost seamlessly with his fur. He shook himself, stretched, bounced on his toes, and then turned around and spotted Frisk.

Frisk waved.

“Uh…!?” Asriel went bright red. “Y-You’re… A-aren’t you supposed to be in like, Russia or something?” He bent down, fumbling for his discarded clothes. He picked up his shirt, looked from it to his horns, and huffed, tossing it back down on the ground. Frisk stifled a giggle and sat up on the couch, putting their own phone away.

“Well, I was, but when I heard you were playing a secret show, I had to come and see!”

“Could have given me some warning or something. Or said something when I came in!” Asriel grumbled, fumbling with the button on his shorts before leaning back on the bench with a huff, still blushing.

They stared at one another for a moment.

Frisk broke the silence first, snorting and breaking into a laugh. They scrambled off of the couch and met Asriel halfway, Asriel sweeping them into a slightly crushing bear hug, causing Frisk to give a small squeak.

“Woah! Be careful with those guns, sheesh!” Frisk teased.

“Uh, s-sorry. I guess I still don’t know my own strength.” Asriel placed Frisk back down on the ground gently. “I suppose I’ve been lifting a lot of stuff, getting all the gear on and off the bus.”

“Yeah, an hour of carrying stuff, the new workout sweeping the nation.” Frisk said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Or maybe it’s because you’re a boss monster and Dad’s the size of a minivan.”

“That might have helped, yeah.”

“Well, it’s good to see you. You looked like you were having a great time up on stage.”

“It was a good show, great vibe from the crowd. For whatever reason, they seem to like us.”

“I think they like you, ‘Prince’.”

Asriel rolled his eyes. “Ugh, not you too! I don’t know why everyone insists on calling me that!”

“It’s half of why your band is so popular. You catch the attention of the monster lovers, the royal family enthusiasts, and the rockstar junkies all in one. It doesn’t hurt that you look cute, either.”

“Great. I’m taller than you, I’ve got these huge unwieldy horns, I’m strong enough to pick up one human with each arm, and I look ‘cute’.” Asriel flopped down onto the couch, puffing his cheeks.

“Ah, you love it.” Frisk sat down next to him and poked him gently on his fuzzy sides.

“You can’t prove anything.” He said, his cheeky grin betraying him. “So what, you flew all the way here to come see me perform?”

“Private jet! It’s the only way to travel.”

“Isn’t that like, crazy expensive?”

“Being the Ambassador for Monsterkind with the Royal Family’s Official Sponsorship has a few perks to go with the mountains of paperwork. Plus, I missed you.”

“You mean, you were worried about me.”

“It can be both! I’d heard from Mum that you weren’t sleeping so well these days.”

Asriel groaned and leant forward, cradling his face with his hands. “Mum! ...You can’t just drop everything and come running every time I have a bad dream, Frisk. You’ve got actually important stuff to do.”

“This is important, Az. When was the last time you got a solid eight hours of sleep?”

“Uh…” He looked guilty. Now that Frisk looked closer, he looked very tired, particularly now that the adrenaline of the stage was starting to wear off. “I… Don’t remember?”

“Too long. When’s the next performance?”

“We’re going interstate the day after tomorrow, heading down to the bay.”

“Cancel everything for tomorrow then. You’re having a mental health day.”

“What? I can’t! I have like, a dozen things that need doing. We’re in the middle of shooting a documentary about the tour, and I gotta meet with the producer, and I need to make sure that-”

“You have like, a hundred people to take care of these things for you! You’re no good to anyone if you collapse, you idiot.” Frisk playfully punched Asriel on the shoulder. “You have to take care of yourself. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Asriel crossed his arms and frowned at Frisk, but it was obvious that he couldn’t win this fight. “You’re a real pain when you wanna be, you know that?”

***

It was a reasonably nice hotel. The clerk had raised an eyebrow when Frisk had insisted on a single queen bed instead of two singles, but Frisk was used to raised eyebrows. After Frisk had relieved the clerk of their key, they also relieved Asriel of his carry bag. He attempted to protest, and then thought better of it, instead sheepishly following Frisk across the lobby.

Frisk resisted the urge to bodily kick the hotel door open. As much fun as it was to boss everyone around, there were limits, and those limits were usually around the point scuff marks started appearing on doors. So, instead, Frisk let Asriel get the door and gently shepherded him into the room.

When Asriel emerged from the shower, gently steaming and matted, he took a look at himself in the mirror. Frisk was somewhere in the main room, so for the first time since he’d been up on stage, he finally had a second to himself.

Asriel checked out his eyes, looked for stuff in his teeth, gingerly felt the tips of his horns to make sure they weren’t too sharp. Frisk was probably right to call all of his appointments for tomorrow off, he kinda looked like hell. He grinned tiredly at himself in the mirror. Frisk was right about a lot of things, and he was glad that they were here. As embarrassing as it was, he missed them when they were gone, and that was before you factored in the nightmares.

Ugh, the nightmares. Asriel squeezed some toothpaste onto his toothbrush and started to brush, letting his mind wander.

Asriel honestly didn’t know how long he’d spent in that unending hell as Flowey. The time was hazy, unfocused. Perhaps it was best that it stayed that way. But when he was asleep, that barrier of dissociation tended to… leak. Most nights, he’d wake up in a cold sweat every hour or so, frantically trying to wipe blood off of his hands, or worse. The only thing that had ever helped stave off the nightmares was Frisk. The one person in the world who made him feel truly safe.

Frisk still teased him about it, sure, but even though they had ended up with separate beds eventually, they had slept in the same bed until their late teens, and only really stopped once Frisk had started travelling the world. He could tell that Frisk missed it too.

Spit, rinse, underpants. He was still a little damp, but he was too exhausted to care. By the time he made it out back into the main room, he was yawning.

“The prince emerges from his chambers, finally.” Frisk closed the lid on a small laptop and placed a notebook on top of it neatly. “Some of us need to pee occasionally, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. It’s all yours.” He gestured at the bathroom vaguely. “You sleep on the right hand side still, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Right, welp, enjoy the bathroom. I have a very important meeting with a mattress. Royal business, can’t be interrupted until at least… seven A.M.”

“Eight.” Frisk corrected him. “And I’ll handle breakfast.”

Asriel wasn’t about to argue. He was too tired to worry about being embarrassed about wearing just his undies, so he just waved as Frisk walked past and flopped heavily on the bed.

By the time Frisk emerged from the bathroom, Asriel was fast asleep and snoring lightly, spread eagled over the top of the sheets.

“Typical.” Frisk tried to be annoyed, but he just looked so peaceful and innocent when he was asleep.

Somehow, Frisk knew it would be a long night.


	2. Coda, Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, bad dreams and things that go bump in the night.

Asgore was on his knees, his eyes empty. He looked dead, but for the slow rise and fall of his chest.

“How did this happen? How could I have failed you again? They were… They were children, Asriel.”

His voice was broken, hoarse. Asriel tried to reach out, to touch his father, who he had never seen so sad, but his arms weren’t working.

Actually, they weren’t there at all. Out of the corner of his eye, Asriel could see petals.

Something else that wasn’t him moved Asriel’s mouth, and a horrible voice came out of it, unbidden.

“You IDIOT. Why aren’t you paying attention? Asriel’s DEAD.”

Asgore slumped down, looking as though he didn’t know whether to scream or cry.

“I’m just some empty shell, father. I’m just a flower. I’m just… Flowey.” Asriel felt his face contort into a rictus of a grin, stretching further than should ever be possible. “Flowey the flower! That’s perfect! I think I’ll use that from now on.”

Asriel wanted to scream, to cry out, to comfort his father, to do anything. Flowey wasn’t breathing. He was a flower, he didn’t even need to breathe. Asriel was suffocating, panicking, and that hollow creeping feeling of being without a soul was stealing up his body, corrupting his heart like poison.

***

Frisk opened one eye. Asriel was twitching and whimpering, gripping at the bedsheets, his breathing rapid and shallow. Whatever he was remembering, it was bad.

Frisk crawled closer, threading an arm underneath Asriel and rolling him gently onto one side, snuggling up against his back and squeezing him around the middle.

“Ssshh. It’s ok. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe. It’s just a dream.” Frisk whispered, gently rubbing Asriel’s front and hugging him tightly.

***

His father was nothing but misshapen pile of dust. The world had crumbled to ashes. Vines, thorned and somehow obscene, undulated around Asriel, closing in. Everything was dead and it was his fault. He couldn’t close his eyes. His body wouldn’t even do the courtesy of letting him scream.

Something warm enveloped Asriel, a light that pushed away the contracting vines. Glowing hands closed around him, and when he looked down at them, they were holding his soul. It was safe and sound. Asriel reached down at the hands with his own and held onto them tightly. He was himself again.

The darkness was washed away in the golden light.

***

Asriel opened his eyes. The bedside clock came into focus as he blinked, clearing sleep from his eyes. 4 AM.

He wasn’t too upset. He felt well rested and comfortable for the first time in weeks, if not months. Asriel wriggled a little on the gigantic bed and a weight shifted against his back. He heard Frisk make some kind of sleepy noise, and the hands around his midriff shifted and clenched a little tighter.

He really wished that he didn’t need Frisk’s help. But the truth was, no one else made him feel so… safe. Asriel smiled to himself and indulged in a small amount of satisfied snuggling, enjoying being little spoon, before he carefully picked Frisk’s fingers apart and peeled their arms off of him, sliding off of the side of the bed. Nature called.

Asriel tiptoed as quietly as possible into the ensuite and slid the door closed behind him, flicking on the light.

***

Frisk thought they heard something. A cursory pat of the bed revealed that Asriel was gone, but his spot was still warm. There was a shaft of light coming from under the bathroom door, and again, that faint noise.

Frisk cursed under their breath, scrambling out of the bed and stumbling across the dark room.

“Az!” Frisk threw open the bathroom door. “Are you- Oh!”

“Aaaah! Don’t look!”

Frisk threw the bathroom door shut, pressing their back against it.

Well.

The good news was, Asriel wasn’t having another night terror. The bad news was, the image of Asriel, totally naked, leaning on the sink counter with one hand as he jerked off with the other… That was going to be difficult to unsee.

Frisk returned to the bed, sat down, and waited. There didn’t seem to be much else to do. A few minutes later, the bathroom light clicked off and Asriel gingerly stepped out into the darkness, shuffling over to the bed and sitting down next to Frisk. They sat in silence for a moment.

“I… Uh. S-sorry.” Asriel said, looking anywhere in the gloom but at Frisk

“No, no. I should have knocked.”

“It’s just, well, we’ve been on the bus for like five days and there’s not much privacy there.”

“Hey, I’ve been through puberty literally twice. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

“Still. I guess… I’ll take the couch?”

“Don’t be silly. I didn’t come all this way just to sleep in the other room.”

Another awkward pause.

“W-well…” Asriel cleared his throat. “Maybe I should… actually go take care of that, then. You know, so I can sleep. You did sort of interrupt.” He went to get up, and Frisk put a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait.”

Asriel looked at Frisk, confused. Frisk wasn’t exactly sure where they were going with this either.

Where to start? I don’t want you to go jerk off in the other room because… I was obsessed with you for over a hundred years? Because seeing you like that reminded me of fantasies from a lifetime ago? Because, come to think of it, it’s been like a week for me as well? Because I don’t know where my desire to save and protect ends and my desire to have you for myself begins?

“Oh, would you be uncomfortable if you knew I was doing that in the other room?” He looked a little disappointed, but mostly sheepish.

“No. Well… Listen, I’m sorry for bursting in on you like that.” Frisk grabbed his other arm and turned Asriel to face them properly, looking him right in the eyes. “Let me make it up to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones surprisingly short, so I might bump the next update forward by a day to make up for it. Maybe. (Don't count on it.) Thanks for reading!


	3. Coda, Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel and Frisk discuss things like adults.
> 
> No they don't.
> 
> FemFrisk (this time) x Asriel smut!

“A-Are you sure?” Asriel stuttered, caught entirely off guard.

Frisk looked Asriel up and down in the half light cast by the various charging electronics in the room. Earlier, Frisk had called Asriel cute. But now…

“Yeah. Very sure.” 

Frisk leant forward, holding onto Asriel’s arms, planting a firm kiss on his lips. He gave a muffled, surprised squeak, squirming a little in Frisk’s grip, but he didn’t pull away. Frisk eventually pulled back, grinning at him.

Asriel looked a little stunned. “...Wow.”

“Was that your first kiss?”

He looked away in embarrassment. “N-No!”

“Oh my god, it was your first kiss. That’s adorable!”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with... Waiting.”

“Well, I’m done waiting.” Frisk pushed forward, nudging Asriel onto his back and crawling over him. Asriel swallowed nervously, gently placing his hands on Frisk’s sides.

“What are you planning on doing?”

Frisk traced a hand down his silky, soft belly, sneaking a hand inside his briefs, causing him to jump and give a small gasp of surprise.

“Try and guess.”

Frisk felt Asriel over, exploring what he had to offer. He was a pretty nice size, and it was cute how he squirmed and blushed in Frisk’s grip, the warm soft flesh slowly growing in between Frisk’s fingers until his cock was holding the waistband of his briefs off of his waist.

“Nnh! F-Frisk!” He was already clutching at the sheets and panting.

No time like the present then.

Frisk sat up, straddling Asriel’s legs and pulling their shirt off, dropping the silken fabric on the bed and then reaching back to unhook their bra.

“Wait…” Asriel tilted his head slightly. “You’re a girl?”

Frisk looked from their chest to Asriel and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. ...Did you not know?”

“Honestly? I could never tell.”

“Huh.” Frisk shrugged, chalking it up to cultural differences between humans and monsters, and disregarded it entirely, powering on with the task at hand and depositing her bra on the bed next to her shirt. While Asriel was staring at her, slack jawed, she hooked both thumbs into the band of her shorts and underwear, rolling onto her side next to him and shuffling them down her legs, kicking them off the bed. Asriel watched in wide eyed wonderment as Frisk leant slightly over the edge of the bed, giving him a blush-inducing view as she fumbled with her overnight bag, pulling out a condom and some lubricant and placing them on the bed.

“Is… that a rubber? Why do you even have that?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Frisk smiled and leant down, nuzzling Asriel’s nose with her own. He twitched his snout, looking back up at her with embarrased apprehension.

“That’s probably because I’m still a little confused as to how this ended up happening in the first place!”

“Well, I have these with me just in case. Unlike you, I’ve been a functioning adult for a long time, and I like to be prepared. Besides, I have no idea if humans can breed with monsters and I don’t intend to be the one to find out. Now, hold still.”

“Why would I-Ah!” He gasped as Frisk ran her fingers along his side, shifting on his back but not reaching out to stop her as she slid her fingers under the elastic of his underwear and peeled it down, leaving his malehood free to bounce against his belly as Frisk pulled his undergarments far enough that Asriel could kick them off. Asriel swallowed nervously as Frisk snatched the bottle of lubricant off of the bed and flipped the bottle open. He flinched slightly as Frisk squeezed a small amount onto his cock, Frisk grinning at the quiet whimper of pleasure that escaped his maw as she spread the liquid around with her hand, massaging it from tip to base and making sure to spread it evenly. Every touch and squeeze made Asriel jump, and she could feel his rapid pulse. It was kind of incredible how sensitive he was. Maybe it had been a little longer than a ‘few days’ on the tour bus, or maybe Asriel had never gotten around to really exploring his… Possibilities. A shame, considering his potential. All the more reason for the both of them to enjoy this.

Frisk held the condom package in her teeth, tearing it open and tossing the wrapping into the darkness. Asriel had recovered enough to watch what she was doing with wide eyes as she carefully positioned it, rolling it gently over his slick length with her fingers, giving him a firm grope to make sure everything was in place. He bucked into her hand, gently, and she indulged him, taking her hand that was still slick with lubricant and slowly rubbing along his cock, smiling as his breath caught in his throat.

“Nh! F-Fuck! Frisk, I- I…”

Frisk crawled forward, pushing her belly against his and trapping his cock between them, grinding against him playfully. The soft white fur on his chest tickled at her belly and breasts, her skin ruffling the immaculately smooth surface as she indulged herself. Asriel groaned, his hand hovering over her side for a moment before he tensed up, shuffling back along the bed and away from Frisk’s relentless teasing.

“S-Stop!”

“...Huh?”

“P-please! Can we please just, I don’t know, fucking talk about this for a second before you jump my bones?”

Frisk felt her heart sink. “What, you… You don’t wanna?”

Asriel raised his arms in exasperation, looking from Frisk to his throbbing erection and back. “God, yes! But, I… N-not like this.”

Frisk shuffled back, letting Asriel pull his legs free as she sat back on the bed. Asriel propped himself up against the bed head, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“It’s ok. I… don’t know what I was thinking.” Frisk took a deep breath, pulling the loose and crumpled sheets over her knees slightly and fiddling with the fabric, unable to look Asriel in the eye. 

Asriel rolled his eyes back and groaned with frustration. “Oh, come on! Don’t be like that. It’s just… I… Ugh.” Asriel rubbed his eyes with a hand and took a deep breath, trying to marshal his thoughts.

“Look. I like you, Frisk. Like… A lot. I’ve always liked you. But these days… I miss you when you’re not around. I can’t sleep without you. You were the one who saved me, you moved earth and sky to come find me, and… You’ve been there for me, for a very long time.” He looked away, blushing. “...I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about, you know, ‘this’, a lot. But... You always seem to be saving me from something. Is this really what you want? I don’t want you to feel like you have to rescue me from being alone, on top of everything else you’ve done for me. I’ve already cost you so much, I don’t want you to make a mistake you’d regret. I don’t want to be a burden.”

Frisk took a deep, calming breath.

“You… Idiot.”

Asriel blinked in surprise. “Pardon?”

“You’ve never been a burden to me. I don’t regret a single moment of the decades I spent trying to save you. I’d have looped for a thousand years, if that’s what I needed to do. I’ve never done anything for you for any reason other than because I wanted to. And this?” Frisk gestured vaguely at the two of them. “This isn’t for your benefit, or because I feel sorry for you, it’s because I fucking want you. It’s because I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

Asriel’s eyes shone. It looked like he was about to cry.

“R-really?”

“Of course really!” Frisk threw her hands up in the air. “Fuck! If there is one thing that I hate about you, it’s that you think the world revolves around you and your problems. I have problems too! I have needs! Now are you going to help me out here, or are there any other deep seated emotional hangups you wanna air before we have sex?”

Asriel didn’t speak, he just scooted closer. He took another deep breath, which disturbed Frisk’s hair. This time, he kissed her.

This time, it was softer, more tender. Frisk just enjoyed the moment, the closeness, his slightly unusual taste. Being held was nice. She waited until he was done, pulling back with a goofy grin on his face. Then she pushed him over again. He gave a bleat of surprise, scrabbling for purchase as Frisk crawled on top of him again, wasting no time. She grabbed him by the dick, holding it in place as she pressed herself against him, her arousal causing her slick lips to glide smoothly from base to tip, Asriel shivering under her with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

“You ready?”

He bit his lip and nodded, holding onto her with both hands. Frisk watched his face as she angled her hips forward and gently pressed down, their stomachs rubbing together softly. She blushed, exhaling quietly as the tip slowly edged its way inside of her, stretching her out gently.

It had been a while. He felt thick, and hot. She took a moment to adjust to the shape inside of her, closing her eyes and pressing her weight down on top of him, allowing gravity to slide him all the way to a slow hilt. When her thighs touched fur again, she couldn’t help but groan softly, clenching down at him.

“F-fuuuh… Frisk…” Asriel managed, his tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth. The squeezing made him twitch, Asriel bucking gently on the spot.

“You like that?” Frisk managed, her voice unsteady. “Well, good.” She rocked forward against Asriel, feeling him shift inside of her and press against all the right spots, as though he was made for this. Already, it was warm, tingly. She pulled herself forward, lightly kissing his belly along the way. Licking the base of his neck, she dragged his tip along her insides until he was almost free, then jammed herself back down. Hard. His fingers dug into her sides, the wordless shock on his face well worth the price of admission. Asriel’s breathing became gasping and grunting that matched pace with her as she began to ride him, rolling her hips and holding him in place. After a few futile attempts to try and thrust up at her, he began to help her move, his hands lifting her weight with ease. Frisk’s quiet panting quickened, her muscles rapidly contracting as Asriel reached that little bit deeper, scratching the itch that little bit harder. 

They were both eager, inexperienced. Asriel quickly started to speed up, the bed creaking slightly as Frisk’s control slipped away, her body responding to his every movement. 

“Ah… Ah! I… Frisk! I’m gonna-”

Frisk cut him off, leaning forward and taking his snout in both hands, planting another kiss onto his lips, her fingers curling into his fur as the spark inside of her burst into flames. She rammed herself against him as he gripped her hips, bringing her down harder, faster. Frisk could only hold on as waves of pleasure washed over her, lewdly moaning into his maw as the orgasm gripped her. She felt him tense up, his hands shaking against her sides and his back arched as he struggled to breathe, pressing himself as deep into her as possible.

A moment later, his body went limp. Frisk lowered herself down onto his chest, both unwilling and too exhausted to pull herself free of him. She let his face go, and he flopped back against the bed. They panted at one another, both smiling like guilty children.

“That was… Wow. But, I told you it had been a while. I didn’t take long, huh?”

“That’s ok. We’ve got plenty of time to practice tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a good weekend, AO3. Let me know what you think, suggestions and critique welcome!


	4. Coda, Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after, and all's well, apart from the ongoing confusion about Frisk's gender. (Male this time.)
> 
> But, see, the funny thing about scratching an itch... It tends to just make you itchy somewhere else.

“Wait… You’re a guy?”

Frisk looked from their crotch to Asriel and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. ...Did you not know?”

“Honestly? I could never tell.”

“Huh.”

***

It was morning. Light was shining through the partially open blinds, rudely interrupting Asriel’s snoozing.

Asriel enjoyed the moments between awakening and awareness. It was so uncomplicated. The bed was soft and comfortable, it was warm, and Frisk was snuggled up against his chest, cheek resting against his bare fur. He could see Frisk’s side rise and fall as they took slow, steady breaths, still asleep.

It hardly seemed real. Last night had been… Well, he’d been fantasizing about the possibility of sleeping with Frisk for a very long time, but it had always seemed so out of reach. Frisk was always so calm and controlled, so… Closed off. Sleeping in the morning light, they looked so much softer, relaxed and comfortable. Vulnerable, even. Frisk had always seemed more like a force of nature than a person, so to see them like this… It was nice. Just, nice.

Asriel smiled, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of being so close to someone else. He tried to shake off the mental cobwebs of sleep and sort dreams from memories. Asriel was pretty sure he’d dreamed of Frisk being a girl, which was weird. Frisk was definitely male. In fact, Frisk’s, uh, “warm light of dawn” was currently poking Asriel in the leg.

Frisk stirred, curling fingers into Asriel’s fluff and burying his face further into his chest. Speak of the human.

“Mhrrn. Bright.”

Asriel slid one of his arms free, grabbing the sheet and pulling it up over Frisk’s head.

“S’not helping, asshole.”

Asriel chuckled, peeking under the sheet to discover a grumpy looking Frisk, who rolled over onto his back and yawned, stretching out on his back. Asriel took this opportunity to rescue his arm, pulling his arm free and flexing his fingers, trying to massage some feeling back into it.

“Good morning to you as well.”

“Yeah, hey. Sleep alright?”

“I haven’t felt this well rested in ages.”

“That’s good.”

Frisk crawled out from under the sheet, sitting up in the bed next to Asriel and crossing his legs. They looked at one another for a moment. Asriel looked so… Happy. Maybe a little embarrassed. As if to underscore the thought, he shuffled his pillows around and propped himself up on the bed head, conspicuously avoiding Frisk’s gase.

“S-so…” He began, fighting his own shyness.

“So?”

“About… last night.”

“What about it?”

“It was… nice.”

Frisk thought back. Watching Asriel squirm on his back, gripping the sheets, the way he had huffed and blushed, the tiny, airless noises he’d made as he came. Frisk nodded, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

“It was. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Yeah… Did you, uh, I dunno, did you still wanna… Date me?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, last night, we were both worked up and stuff. I-I’d understand if you… changed your mind.”

Frisk stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… Well...” Asriel sat forward, eyes wide, intently waiting for Frisk’s response. He was so earnestly concerned, it was adorable. Frisk pounced.

***

After Frisk had tickled the living daylights out of Asriel, he left him to recover on the bed while Frisk called room service and ordered a breakfast of the stacked pancake variety. Asriel flopped on the bed, trying to regain some of his lost dignity. He was finding it difficult to be upset. Frisk knew exactly what he wanted, for breakfast and in life, it seemed. Asriel had always been enamoured of Frisk’s ability to take charge and have a plan, his seemingly natural ability to lead. Confidence, that was it. That would be nice.

It had been a while, but Asriel still struggled with confidence and trust, as well as self worth. There was a constant whisper, a high pitched, saccharine voice that Asriel knew all too well, always murmuring words of sabotage and poison. He was aware of it, he could tell when it was happening. He just couldn’t help it. And what was worse, was the way it bled into everything, even the great things in his life. Asriel was always second guessing himself, he was quick to assume the worst, that he’d screwed up something unintentionally and now something was ruined. It was the long term effects of a scarring that Asriel never expected to heal.

But, recovery was a long path, made up of small moments. Kind words, a gentle touch.

Um. That thing Frisk did last night.

Asriel realised he was looking at Frisk and blushing. And… Yep. Asriel rolled over, hiding his traitorous erection and feeling around under the sheets for his underwear. It had to be here somewhere.

Frisk hung up, feel satisfied with himself for negotiating a deal for lunch as well as breakfast. Asriel was wriggling about on the bed, checking in the sheets.

“Hey Az. Looking for these?” Frisk dangled the boss monster’s underwear from one finger, just out of reach. Azriel emerged from the sheet, flustered and blushing, looking up and snatching for it. Frisk easily jerked it out of reach. “Ah ah! Waaaay too slow.”

“C-come on Frisk! Why?”

“Because it took years to get you outta these, and I’m in no hurry for you to put them back on.”

That shut him up but good. He just kind of shrugged into the sheet a little, a delicious shade of red.

“B-But…”

“Tell you what, you can have them back after we shower. Gotta get cleaned up before breakfast gets here, after all.”

Before he had a chance to protest, Frisk was gone.

Asriel hunched over in his sheet burrito. Damn it. Although, a shower did sound like a good idea, he was still kind of… sticky.

By the time Asriel made it to the shower, the room was thick with mist. A high end hotel’s hot water system was always one of the highlights of an overnight stay, and this place was no exception. Frisk was barely visible inside the spacious shower.

“Frisk? Can I have those back now? All my luggage is on the bus, they’re kind of my only pair…”

“After you get in here! I gotta wash you off. It is my fault you got dirty in the first place, after all.”

Asriel swallowed nervously, cracking the glass door open. A wash of heat and moisture billowed out, inviting him inside. Frisk was facing away from him, rinsing his long, androgynous hair.

As far as he could remember, Asriel hadn’t ever seen Frisk totally naked before. He was thin, smooth, kinda… shapely. Soft lines and round edges. Human anatomy was something of a mystery to him, even after all this time, but Frisk seemed to have all the necessary parts except horns and claws. Frisk glanced over his shoulder, smiling at him.

“Quit looking at my ass and get in here, you’re letting all the steam out.”

Asriel shuffled meekly into the cubicle. It was a nice shower, roomy, with a wide showerhead. Plenty of space for two. He was still a little awkward and unsure. Frisk supposed that went with the territory, now that it was the morning after and light was shining on the situation.

Huh. Asriel’s situation was certainly shining. He was trying to hide it with a hand, without looking like he was trying to hide it, and it was not working. Honestly, he was kind of hung. Frisk wondered if that was genetic, or perhaps a species thing. Questions for later. Questions to never, ever ask Toriel or Asgore. Ever.

Frisk reached out and grabbed Asriel’s other hand, dragging him into the stream of water.

“Am I making you uncomfortable? I really will give you back your undies after this, and you really did need a shower.”

“No, no, it’s fine. If I couldn’t put up with your teasing, I would have been in trouble years ago. It’s just…”

He looked away, struggling to find the right words. Frisk was happy to wait. He was already being so much more forthcoming than Frisk had ever seen him, no need to push any harder.

“I… I was wondering. About… That thing you did.”

The thing? What thing could Frisk have done that could get Asriel’s goat so-

“Oh. Oh! You mean, bottoming?”

Asriel couldn’t even bring himself to say yes. He just nodded, looking torn between embarrassment and desire. “...Y-you seemed to enjoy it a lot, is all.”

Frisk did his best to stay calm. “Well, you know, it’s a learned skill, but it can feel really good if you do it right. Sorta related… You still eat mostly monster food, right?”

Asriel nodded again. “Yeah. Never could get used to the, uh, side effects of human food.”

Frisk grinned, amused at the mental image of Asriel being surprised by that quirk of biology for the first time. “Well, cultural differences aside, monster food is handy for a few reasons. It makes for great travel food, and if you have it for long enough you end up… Well, clean, for want of a better word.”

“Clean?”

“Well, not to put too fine a point on it Az, but most people poop. And that can be a problem, if you’re bottoming.”

Frisk watched Asriel genuinely consider this problem for the first time. Confusion first, then realization, and then disgust. “Oh, gross!”

Frisk chuckled. “Fortunately for you, not a problem. You barely ever have human food. Heck, you’re probably clean enough to ea… N-nevermind.” Frisk abandoned that particular line of thought, and struck out for new ground. “The point is, if you wanted to try it… Well, you’ve kind of already prepared.”

Asriel grabbed at his own arms, looking conflicted.

“Tell you what. I’ll go grab something, and then we can just… Try stuff out, ok? If you don’t like it, we can stop.”

***

Asriel rinsed the suds off of his face. Monster soap, specifically for fur, was a lot like shampoo in a bar. He’d made do with just using a bunch of Frisk’s shampoo in the past, and the memory of it, the idea of squirting the pearlescent liquid all over his own face lingering uncomfortably in his mind. It was amazing what was bubbling up from the depths of his imagination, now that the floodgates were open.

Frisk returned, looking cold from having to go back out into the bedroom whilst still wet. Asriel added the wet carpet to the mental list of things to tip the cleaning staff for. He was holding another one of his mysterious bottles, this one a different colour. Just how prepared had he been?

“This one is good for shower stuff, doesn’t wash away with water. Here, hold out your hand.”

Asriel did as he was told, watching intently as Frisk flipped the cap open and squeezed a small amount onto his fingers. Asriel rubbed it with his thumb, surprised at the slick sensation, not to mention how much it spread.

“Huh. I can see how this would help.”

“You can do more than see, if you’d like. If you’re comfortable enough, go ahead and try a finger. It’s probably better that you do it, so you can feel what you’re doing.”

Asriel took a deep, calming breath. It was probably a good idea to be relaxed for this. Trying not to be too conscious of Frisk’s intent observation, he reached down with his lubed hand and gingerly brushed at his own rear. It was hardly the first time he’d touched himself there, but this…

He audibly gasped as he pressed a fingertip against himself, feeling it slip easily past the pucker and inside. He had expected it to hurt, but instead, there was just a wealth of sensations. He leant forward, pushing further inside himself, wiggling the finger around experimentally. Another sharp gasp as he brushed against something sensitive, his cock twitching. Frisk looked pleased.

“That right there? Prostate. It’s every guy’s best friend.”

Asriel panted lightly, pulling the finger back out. “I’ve had that the whole time?”

Frisk did his best to keep smiling. Jesus christ, he wanted to slam Asriel against the shower wall and fuck him in half, right the fuck now.

Patience. Focus. Determination.

“Yeah! You can imagine how it might come in handy if you had something a bit… wider and longer in there. Speaking of, think you could do two fingers?”

Asriel nodded, looking back down and going back to tenatively fingerfucking himself. Frisk couldn’t tear his eyes away, or help the hand that crept back onto his own penis, slowly stroking as he watched. Asriel managed a third finger, making a small noise as it slipped inside.

“Ah! That’s…”

“Just relax, ok? The ache only lasts a few seconds, your muscles get used to it pretty quickly.”

“Oh… Yeah, ok.” He reached a little deeper inside of himself. “Nh! This is… weird.”

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, but… I dunno. I’m kinda… Fingering myself while you watch. If you’d told me that this would happen a week ago…”

Frisk reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get hung up on it. Hey, you wanna try the real thing? I’m kind of… well.” Frisk gestured down at his cock, which was desperate for some attention. Asriel looked at it and went, somehow, an even brighter shade of red.

“I… Uh… I-I guess?”

Frisk internally fistpumped.

“Alright. Turn around, you might wanna rest against the wall. Tell me if it hurts, ok?” Frisk guided Asriel around, pressing him up against the wall, reaching up and snagging the lube off of the shelf. He gave himself a generous coating with it. No reason to be conservative now, there was unlikely to be a better time than the present.

Asriel squirmed up against the wall nervously, looking over his shoulder. Frisk looked… Extremely determined. He was fiddling with himself, and Asriel felt Frisk’s skin against his back. Frisk whispered in his ear.

“Deep breath, ok? Relax.”

Asriel tried to do both of these things and failed miserably. Instead, he jumped a little as something wet and hot pressed against his most sensitive spot, meeting a moment of resistance before the tip slowly slid inside of him. Asriel shivered, letting a small, high pitched gasp free before he clamped his mouth shut. He was going to do his best to keep a lid on any girly noises or bleats. He felt like he owed himself that much.

Any further contemplation was rudely interrupted as Frisk, having waited a moment to let Asriel adjust, began to slide himself fully inside. Asriel gave a shocked bleat as his insides stretched, the cock pressing against virgin muscles and nerves. It ached, but also, it was amazing, a sense of fullness he hadn’t ever experienced before.

Frisk wrapped one arm around Asriel, holding him up just in case he lost his footing in the shower. He was squirming like no tomorrow, arched back against him, making all manner of cute noises as Frisk managed to push that last few centimeters home, feeling stomach against fur and responding in kind, pressing Asriel up against the wall with his chest.

“A-ah! Frisk!” Asriel’s voice was wavering, unsteady with pleasure.

Frisk curled around Asriel’s neck, poking his nose in close. “Let me know if you want me to stop. Or, you could bleat if you want me to go harder.”

Asriel groaned. “Y-you Asshole! I can’t help the bleating!”

“Mmhmm.”

Frisk pulled back, and Asriel took a deep, shuddering breath, the sensation of being empty both a relief and a disappointment. When Frisk thrust back inside, Asriel bit down on his lip, only giving a strained whimper. The second time, Frisk angled the thrust a little higher, grazing that same spot again, and Asriel bleated, cursing himself internally as each of the steadily harder thrusts pushed him up against the wall, his own cock sliding against warm wet tiles and his own belly.

He was incredibly tight. Every time Frisk pushed inside of him, he squirmed and pushed back, all of Asriel’s hesitation replaced by lust and fervor. Frisk wasn’t going to waste this chance, although it was nice that Asriel was enjoying the experience.

After so much waiting, Frisk wasn’t going to take long.

Asriel spluttered, attempting to talk in between thrusts. “Ah! F-Frisk! It, it feels, I f-feel- Ah!”

Frisk slipped his other hand around Asriel’s front, holding him close and in place with a fist full of belly fur in one hand, gripping Asriel’s shaft with the other. He gave it a firm squeeze and was rewarded with a shudder and a soft moan, Asriel leaning back against him and panting lewdly. Frisk held his hand steady, pushing and pulling with his body against Asriel’s, causing the boss monster to slip against his hand and pleasure himself as he was getting fucked.

The pressure inside of Asriel was already building to a fever pitch, but Frisk’s touch propelled it to new heights. It was intense, way more intense than Asriel was expecting, almost to the point where it was painful but stopping just short, his orgasm coming as a long slow build instead of the more familiar staccato burst of his own private explorations. The boss monster whimpered, his breath catching in his throat as he painted the wall a creamy off-white, his pants becoming steadily more intense as Frisk totally ignored his attempts to pull away, instead redoubling his efforts and attention to Asriel’s increasingly over-sensitive cock, each press against his insides extending the crescendo well beyond his normal limits. Asriel felt something hot spurt inside of him, another sensation the the chaos, and then Frisk finally stopped, leaving him panting against the wall, legs shaking, tongue hanging out as he desperately tried to draw breath. Frisk’s belly and chest were nice against his back, the pressure inside of him fading as Frisk pulled out, being replaced with a warm, dull feeling of well massaged muscles and some kind of lewd dripping.

“Hh… Az… Y-you get… Really tight when you cum, you know that?” Frisk managed, and Asriel was pleased to note that he was finally a little flustered.

“I… I guess, I know for next time. I can see why you were… hah, so enthusiastic about bottoming last night.”

“Well… I had a few reasons. I wanted you, but I also wanted… Uh, you, if you know what I mean.” Frisk slipped a hand around Asriel’s front and grabbed his cock again, making him jump. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t ever looked at this monster and wondered.”

“H-ah! God, I’ve never been so sensitive in my entire life! Be careful with that, sheesh.”

Frisk sighed. “Well… It would be a shame if we wasted any more time in here, as much fun as it is to make you squirm and bleat. Wouldn’t want pancakes to go to waste, would we?”

“I… guess not.” Asriel tried not to sound disappointed. Despite his protests, squirming in Frisk’s grip beyond the threshold of sensitivity had been kind of… Fun.

“I mean, if you wanna keep your strength up for round two, you have to eat, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's two lewds! Something for everyone, maybe. There'll be more, but first some delicious plot. Buckle up, it's gonna be Emotional.


	5. Coda, Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anime, a playfight, an omnious presense, and lewdest act of all, kissing and holding hands.
> 
> It's too late to stop me. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worth noting is that Meliodas340 was confused as to which of Frisk's genders is the real one! The answer is simple, because, you see, Frisk's true gender is http://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/track/dogsong
> 
> Hopefully that clears up any confusion!
> 
> Also, yes, this update is late. Sorry about that, I'll catch up.

Boss monsters, it turns out, make exceptional seats. After things had calmed down a little, the two of them had settled down to waste some time and relax. Cuddle in the afterglow. It was mid afternoon now, they were six episodes into an anime Asriel had recommended, and Frisk had long since taken up battle position against his stomach, his long snout resting gently on top of Frisk’s head. Frisk could feel Asriel singing along to the credit music under his breath. In Japanese, no less.

Frisk couldn’t help but grin. Asriel was a hopeless dweeb, and it was great.

The laptop struggled, lagging at the end of the video. The wifi in the hotel was not the greatest; they’d be waiting for buffering for a while. Frisk fished out their phone, trying to take advantage of the small respite.

715 unread emails, 7 unread texts, 2 missed calls. Frisk grimaced and clicked the button again, turning off the screen and tossing the phone onto the bed.

“That bad, huh?” Asriel shifted, peering down over the top of Frisk’s head.

“Real life wants me back... I’d rather stay here, honestly.”

“Well, if it’s important…”

 

Frisk waved a hand in the air noncommittally. “Eeeh. The guys at the office can handle basically everything. They just like me to rubber stamp things and shake hands, stare people down, stuff like that.”

“But somehow, you’re always so busy. Always going somewhere, doing something.”

“Well, I’d feel bad if I wasn’t working on things. I like to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Asriel leant back against the bed head, chuckling. “Well, of all the bad habits to have, you could do worse than being addicted to helping people.”

“Great. When you phrase it like that, it sounds like a bad thing.”

Asriel chucked, gently tickling Frisk. “Ah, don’t get all defensive about it. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for your bad habits.”

“Augh! And yet, the betrayal!” Frisk attempted to squirm free, but Asriel had the advantage of being bigger and stronger. Eventually, Frisk settled for a tickle counterattack, but it was difficult to remained determined when the monster attacking you was grinning like an idiot and holding you trapped against his chest.

A few minutes later, Frisk had managed to crawl free, flopping on the other side of the bed and panting.

“Hate you… So much…”

“That’s not what you were whispering a few hours ago.” He looked so insufferably pleased with himself - not even winded. He glanced over at the laptop, which was displaying an error message. “Aaaand the wifi’s out again. Can’t believe we paid like twenty bucks for this.”

“Maybe the hotel’s IT guys just have better taste in anime than you do.”

Asriel tossed a pillow at Frisk and then reached out with one of his feet, hooking the laptop’s lid with a toe and folding it shut. “Alright. I know you wanted for us to just relax all day today, but if we stay here much longer we’re either going to kill one another or… Y’know, the other stuff. And I seriously cannot go again for at least a few more hours.” He made a face and shifted on the spot, a look Frisk recognised as ache in places no one ever expected to ache. “So, you wanna go do something?”

“I guess. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, there’s an alright restaurant nearby that I usually stop at when I’m in town. It should be a nice walk.”

***

“This is the exact opposite of a nice walk.”

It was a cold day, and the occasional moments that the sun peeked out from behind the clouds was doing little to alleviate the touch of the cold fingers of shadow cast by every building they passed. There was something about the massive concrete structures that seemed to radiate cold. Frisk’s light jacket was simply not up to the task.

Asriel was wearing a thin tee-shirt. He looked fine, Frisk eyed his luxuriously fluffy white fur enviously.

“It’s a few blocks on a clear day! There’s hardly anyone out, which means that there’s no crowd for that stalker reporter to hide in and take photos from. Birds are singing, sun is shining… I mean, kinda.”

“And you come with a natural layer of insulation.”

“Hey, I’m willing to share!” Asriel beckoned Frisk over.

“That’s alright, the walk will warm me up.”

Asriel raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a small moment, and then shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

As they walked, Asriel talked about the tour, mostly to fill the silence. Small dramas with the drum kit, the one gig out east where there was a literal hole in the stage, how they managed to misplace a roadie and leave him behind, and got three cities down the highway before anyone noticed. How Mum had come to a show even if she didn’t approve of the music, the way Dad liked or favorited every single thing he posted on Snoutbook, no matter how small or unimportant. Crazy fans, hate mail, death threats, surprise gifts, free stuff, endless marriage proposals and groupies. Frisk’s mind drifted.

A familiar feeling. Some kind of looming, ominous presence. Dread. There was nothing to be afraid of, not here, not in this timeline. So why did Frisk feel like someone was always looking over their shoulder? Frisk hunched over, hugging the jacket. It was freezing.

“...And then the wheelchair turned out to be a bomb made out of solid gold and you’re straight up not listening to me at all, are you? Frisk. Friii-iisk. Yo!” Asriel waved in front of Frisk’s face, and Frisk snapped out of it, stumbling to a halt. “You ok? ...Oh, you’re shivering. Come here, let me warm you up.” He went to embrace Frisk.

“N-no! I’m...” Frisk pulled away instinctively. Asriel looked hurt.

“Hey, what gives? You couldn’t get enough of the fluff before. Let me help. I have ample warm and fluffy to spare.”

“I, uh…” Frisk glanced around. There were a few people around, bundled in an assortment of thick winter clothing, shuffling along in their own worlds. Asriel followed Frisk’s gaze, looking from the other people and then back to Frisk.

“What, are you worried someone will see?”

Frisk looked down, unable to meet Asriel’s eye. “L-let’s just keep going, ok? We’re nearly there.” Frisk tried to walk past Asriel, but he put an arm up against the wall in front of Frisk. Frisk blinked at it in surprise, turning to face Asriel, who loomed over him.

Asriel was already taller, and the horns added to the effect. He put his other arm against the wall on the other side of Frisk, blocking off escape.

“Hey.” He looked unimpressed. “I asked you a question.”

“I… I don’t…” Frisk struggled to find the words. The overcast feeling still has its icy fingers around Frisk. Being out in public, the cold. They couldn’t focus. “It’s not that… it’s just, well, what if-”

Asriel sighed, his hard look defrosting a little. “Look. I get it. It’s… complicated. Adoptive sibling, royal family and official ambassador, paparazzi. But… You’ve never shied away from me like that before. Are you afraid of me, now?”

“Of course not! I just… You ever feel like, I dunno, when something good happens, it’s just the prelude to something bad happening?”

Asriel blinked slowly. “You know what? That is the stupidest reason anyone has ever given me for not wanting a hug.” He leaned a little closer, backing Frisk up against the wall. “I know you’re not great with crowds, and come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show affection to anyone else in public. When it’s just me and you, you know just what to say and just what to do and it’s all I can do to keep up… But out here? It’s like being on stage, and you have stage fright. And the best way to deal with that is to just follow my lead.”

“...That is so lam-Mmph!” Before Frisk could finish rolling their eyes, Asriel leant in and firmly pressed them against the wall with a kiss. Frisk squirmed, reaching up to grab Asriel, only to have both hands caught and pressed against the wall. Frisk blinked in shock, feeling the beginnings of a hot blush, but they were trapped, Asriel’s greater size and strength once again coming back to bite Frisk on the butt. Asriel was patient, waiting for Frisk to give up, Frisk’s struggling gradually fading to nothing but quiet huffing through their nose. Asriel never looked away, totally ignoring the small handful of people on the street. Frisk saw one or two of them glance their way, but no one objected or cared.

Asriel pulled back a little, licking his lips. “Even your face is cold, you idiot.”

Frisk didn’t bother to try and think of a witty retort, instead just looking at Asriel with a mix of anger and flustered, guilty enjoyment. Asriel grinned, enjoying the sight of Frisk so obviously torn, before making the decision for them, picking Frisk off of the wall by the wrists and easily spinning them around, pulling them up close and wrapping both arms around them. Frisk gasped, but didn’t try to pull away this time. He was incredibly warm, particularly in comparison to the cold concrete wall.

They stood there for a moment, and the world didn’t end.

“...Sorry.”

Asriel squeezed Frisk a little. “It’s fine. Let’s just wait here for a bit, get you warmed up, ok?”

“Ok.”

“I don’t care who knows it. If I feel like holding you, I’m gonna.”

It was a nice feeling, to know that he was serious. Frisk nuzzled back at him gently. It was true, he had warm and fuzzy to spare.

Somewhere, beyond the limits of sight and hearing, someone giggled to themselves. “That’s cute. They’re a nice couple. My Brother… and my old Partner.”


	6. Coda, Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, culinary experimentation, an important phone call, a pep talk, some alcohol, and a fateful meeting.

Honestly? Frisk would rather die than admit it, but the open face salad-and-snail club sandwich Asriel was enjoying looked kind of good. Frisk picked at their ‘human special’, an abomination of monster cuisine which incorporated nearly a dozen styles of human cooking in one dish. The server had insisted Frisk try it. Unfortunately, there was no magic on this world or any other that could hold together jalapenos, soy sauce, sauerkraut, coconut, rice, peach, pasta, and tomato. And those were just the parts Frisk could recognize. Despite this, half a dozen of the other monster patrons in the restaurant were eagerly tucking in to the same abominable dish. Frisk took another bite, mostly for the sake of politeness.

“S’ good, right?” Asriel asked through a half mouthful of salad, swallowing before he continued. “I get that one sometimes, but you just can’t beat snails.”

“Yeah, it’s uh… Definitely got a lot of creativity put into it.”

Asriel smiled, looking genuinely pleased with himself. He tried, and Frisk supposed that was the important thing.

Frisk’s phone started to ring, startling them both.

“You’ve had that thing on silent since you got here.” Asriel looked confused as Frisk pulled the phone out and looked at the screen.

“There’s one priority number. The only number we can’t ever afford to ignore. Are you ready? This could be… Rough.” Frisk looked from the phone in their shaking hand to Asriel, who nodded solemnly. Asriel leant forward, hands on the table, ready for anything. Frisk answered and slowly brought the phone up to one ear.

“Hello? Oh, hey Mum. What’s up? ...Oh. Oh, you are? And Dad, too? Wow. No, no, that’s awesome! Yeah, uh, Az and I are just in town, having some lunch. Yeah, that’s fine, no problem. Alright, I’ll book the room for you guys when we get back to the hotel. Mmhmm. Yeah. Of course, you two wouldn’t fit into any of the smaller rooms anyway. Haha, yeah. Alright, see you at around six. Ok, bye. Love you too! Bye!”

Frisk put the phone down and took a deep, calming breath. Asriel looked horrified.

“T-they’re coming?”

“Already at the airport. Someone back at the office let slip that we were in the same city and they decided to make a royal visit.”

Asriel sat back in his chair heavily, groaning. “Guhhh… What are we gonna do? Mum’s freaking psychic when it comes to… Y-you know…” He gestured awkwardly from himself to Frisk.

“That’s because you have the worst poker face of any human or monster I’ve ever met. You wiggle your nose when you’re lying.” Asriel’s nose immediately twitched, and he covered it, looking down at the traitorous snoot with crossed eyes. Frisk would have laughed if it wasn’t for the looming crisis. 

“I can’t help it! It’s a nervous habit.”

“Just be aware of it. And here’s exactly what we’re going to do; We’re going to have a nice dinner with our parents, buy them a nice bottle of wine and get the both of them tipsy as quickly as possible. After that, we cram them into their hotel room and run for it. All we have to do is hold it together until they go to bed. Four hours, tops, and maybe breakfast tomorrow morning before you have to go. We play it cool, we take it easy, and everything will be just fine.”

***

“This is it.” Frisk looked in the restroom mirror, talking to their reflection. “This is where this timeline ends. Toriel’s going to find out and then I’m going to get murdered by the royal family for sleeping with their son and it’s going to cause an international incident because I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. Idiot. Idiot!” Frisk headbutted the mirror lightly to punctuate the last word and then rested against it, eyes closed.

Frisk knew that regardless of how certain the outcome of discovery was, they still had to try. They had made this particular bed, and now it was time to lie in it. Frisk turned on the tap, bending down and splashing some cold water onto their face, trying to clear the mind. When they could see again, Asriel was standing behind them.

“AAAAaaahhhooh. H-hey Az. Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like your father when you’re looming ominously behind someone?”

Asriel chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “A few times. Sorry about that. I’d have said something when I came in but I wasn’t sure which... Bathroom you’d gone into. I just wanted to make sure you were ok, you looked like you were about to throw up.”

Frisk sighed, leaning back against the sink. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just pay and head back, grab some supplies on the way. A nice red, or something.” And, Frisk added silently, some food that was actually edible. “We can make some plans, maybe rehearse for probable questions at dinner. Get our stories straight, or something.”

Asriel checked his phone. “You said six, right? So we have four hours, that should be plenty of time. Come on, I’ll grab the cheque and we can get moving. It’s like you said, as long as we keep our eyes on the prize, we should be fine.”

***

“This is a bad plan. This is a bad, bad plan.” Asriel shook his head as Frisk poured another glass for each of them.

“Shut up and drink. If we’re both squirming like guilty children, they’ll know something’s up right away.” Frisk handed Asriel one of the glasses and swirled the other, taking a small sip. It was ok, not great, but it would the best Frisk could do on such short notice.

“Yeah, because we’ll be acting so naturally when we’re tipsy. Weren’t they supposed to be the ones drinking?”

“I’m improvising. I’m also nervous. This is just to help us both relax, take the edge off a little, ok?” Frisk took another sip, and Asriel looked down at his own glass with a conflicted expression.

“I dunno…”

“Trust me. After this, we’ll get cleaned up and go over questions they might ask and what we’re gonna say.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Asriel managed a wry smile, and took a decent swig of his wine. 

***

The first mistake was the shirt. Asriel had spilled wine on it and so it had to go in the wash, obviously, but that was fine because he had a nicer one and was gonna change anyway. But, some of it had soaked through to his belly, and while he had insisted that it was fine, Frisk hadn’t taken no for an answer. A purple splotch on that unblemished white expanse seemed somehow criminal. The second mistake had been trying to skip a shower. Asriel had suggested that maybe they could blot the wine out to save time, but it had turned out that he was quite ticklish.

Ok. Maybe the wine was the first mistake. A tickle fight was not the ideal way to prepare for dinner with the parents, Frisk could admit this. And, well, it had gotten a little heavier after they had both worn one another out. This time, Asriel was sitting on Frisk’s belly, holding them down gently and nibbling his way down their neck while they squirmed weakly.

The phone rang again, on the bed next to them, causing the two of them to stop dead. After a second, Frisk coughed. “You, uh, wanna let me up so I can get that?”

“Oh! Yeah. Good idea.” Asriel leant back, and Frisk snatched the phone, making a note of the time and then answering it again.

“Hello? Yeah, we’re just on our way down to the lobby now. See you there!”

They stared at each other after Frisk hung up.

“You need a shirt.”

“You have a bite mark. Riiiight there.” Asriel gently touched Frisk on the neck.

“My hair must be a mess, too.”

“It is. I must smell like you.”

“You do, actually.”

They stared at each other with resignation.

“...Maybe if we just stay up here, they won’t find us.”

“We have to go, Az.”

“Yes, but have you considered: We could change our names and flee the country.”

Frisk pushed him, causing Asriel to flop lightly onto the bed next to them. He still had the spot on his belly. Frisk sighed and poked the spot, causing him to bleat quietly and glare.

“C’mon, maybe we’re overthinking things anyway. Let’s get dressed and get down there, what’s the worst that could happen?”

***

“Howdy kids!” Asgore swept the both of them up, one in each arm. He was getting on in years now, a bit greyer and a little slower on his feet than he once was, but damn it if he wasn’t still built like a mini-van. Maybe a truck. Some kind of large earth moving equipment, certainly. Frisk squirmed lightly in his grip as they gasped for air, wincing at the sound of bones popping. “I haven’t seen the two of you in the same room in ages!” He loosened his crushing bear hug, holding the both of them and beaming. “Gosh, look how big you’ve both gotten.”

“Try not to crush our children dear.” Toriel patted Asgore on the shoulder gently. “They’re the only ones we have.”

Asgore put them both down gently, chuckling and dusting the two of them off. “Right, right. Sorry, I’m just excited to see you guys again! The whole family, back together.”

“It’s good to see you too, Dad, Mum.” Asriel shuffled around his father, straight into Toriel’s waiting arms. She gave him a firm hug, which caused him to roll his eyes and blush. “Ah, Mum…”

“Oh hush. Indulge an old lady for a moment.” She held him by the shoulders and peered at him critically over her glasses. “So tall, now! Hmm… Have you been eating enough? I told that manager of yours to make sure you had plenty to eat. If you need me to have a word with him-”

“They literally won’t stop giving me food, Mum. It’s fine. Please do not lecture my manager again.” Asriel sounded a tiny bit desperate, but he was smiling.

Asgore clapped Frisk on the shoulder, causing them to stumble. “Frisk! Haven’t you grown up to be a fine young… uh, human. You really should make more time for your mother and I, we do miss you while you’re travelling.”

“Frisk does their best, Gorey. Very busy saving the world, aren’t you?” Toriel reached over and put a hand on Frisk’s shoulder.

“S-something like that. I miss you guys when I’m out, though.”

“Of course. We miss you too, Frisk.” Toriel pulled Frisk over as well, subjecting them both to her motherly ministrations, Asgore rapidly coming up behind the both of them and wrapping all three of them in another hug, effectively cutting off escape.

It was nice. Frisk blushed and protested but, well, they had missed this.

When they finally managed to pry themselves free of their parents loving embrace, Frisk showed them to the room they had booked for the two gigantic boss monsters. The presidential suite had been… Tricky, to arrange on such short notice, but the mention of the word ‘royalty’ had eased the process somewhat. It was a big deal for hotels to host royalty, apparently.

Once they had deposited their travel bags and Toriel’s suitcase full of assignments that needed marking, they headed out into town for dinner. Frisk had chosen the restaurant this time, in the hopes of being able to order a meal that was actually edible. After the initial wave of excitement wore off, both Frisk and Asriel began to occasionally exchange worried looks as the four of them walked through the cool evening, drawing all manner of odd looks as they traveled. It was nice to see the parents again, but, well...

Dinner was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I generally don't reply to comments directly, but I would like you all to know that I really appreciate them and your kudos and views. Thanks for giving me a chance!
> 
> <3


	7. Coda, Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Dreemurrs. What could go wrong?

“So, Frisk.” Toriel folded her reading glasses into their case and snapped it shut, placing it on the table neatly. “What have you been up to, lately?”

I’ve been sleeping with your son. It took me less than 24 hours to get off the plane and into his pants. My desire for him is strong enough that we had to interrupt it in order to come to this meal. He had me pinned down on the bed and I’ve never wanted anything else more in my entire life. I’m terrified that you can tell, and the longer I stare at you like a deer caught in headlights, the more incriminating it looks. I would give almost literally anything to be back up in our hotel room with Asriel right now. But instead, I’m stuck here, and now I have to make small talk and pretend that everything is fine and all I can think about is the fact that I’ve been sleeping with your son.

“Oh. You know. Busy… with work.”

“Yeah!” Asriel interjected. “Frisk has been… Very busy with work. And… I’ve been on tour! So, the both of us, getting busy.”

“With work.”

“Yes. Work.”

Toriel exchanged a glance with Asgore. He shrugged and went back to trying to read the menu, muttering under his breath as he struggled with the french pronounciation.

“I see. I read recently that you met with several officials in Russia, looking to resettle some of the more cold inclined monsters. How was it?”

“It was… Cold.” Frisk shrugged, struggling to find appropriate words. “You couldn’t really tell who was a monster and who was a human, everyone was so bundled up. I appreciated that, if nothing else. They served a lot of stews, too.”

“Ooh, stew. Wonder if they have any of that here.”

“I don’t think that stew features heavily in cuisine française, dear.”

“T-the what?”

“French cooking.”

“Ooooh. That’s a shame. Maybe they do burgers, then.”

Asriel sighed in frustration. “Just order the snails, dad.”

“We always get snails when we go out, though! ...Also, I don’t know which one of these words is french for snails.” Toriel reached over and pointed on the menu. “Eees car got? Huh. You learn something new every day.”

“Perhaps you should order using the menu number, dear. A small mercy for the waiter.”

“You’re right, as per usual.” Asgore put the menu down and leaned forward, looking at Asriel and Frisk. “Anyway. I saw the photos of your last concert, Asriel. It was full! I’m very proud of you, being able to draw such a crowd.”

“Oh, thanks! I uh, I guess I’m getting pretty popular.”

“It’s no wonder you met someone, with so many new people around.” Asgore said with a smile. Toriel glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Asriel went bright red. Frisk tried not to panic and failed.

“Um. Uh. I, I d-don’t know what you’re talking about.” Asriel’s voice wavered.

“Oh, you can’t hide it from me, son. I was a kid once as well, you know! You’ve got that little spring in your step, that sparkle in your eye.”

“That mortified, guilty expression.” Toriel murmured to herself, shaking her head at her husband’s lack of tact.

Asriel looked like he was going to pass out, or even worse, confess. Frisk considered the options and realised there was only one way to avoid total disaster. It was risky, but they were up against the wall.

“Come on Az, you might as well come clean.”

“R-really?” He looked at Frisk with a mix of horror and confusion.

“Yeah. Tell them about…” Crystal. Eugiene. Mary. Sarah. Florida. Muffet? “Tasha. She seems nice, so you might as well.”

Asriel blinked once. “Tasha.”

Toriel raised an eyebrow. “Tasha?”

Asgore sat up straight. “Oooh, I know a Tasha. Is she nice, Asriel?”

“She’s… A fan? We met… At a show… Three weeks ago?”

“Yeah. Az was worried you two wouldn’t like her, so I came to town to check her out on your behalf.”

“I thought you came to visit because of Asriel’s night terrors.” Toriel looked suspicious.

“There were multiple reasons to come visit.”

“So, where is she? Is she here? Oh, I can’t wait to say howdy!” Asgore looked so pleased, he’d been a big fan of humans ever since the barrier had come down and he’d no longer been obligated to kill them on sight.

Asriel rallied. “Oh, she had to leave town. For some conservation work that she needed to do. In Africa. Um, Antarctica, I mean. Gonna be out there for the next six months, at least.”

“Yes! Which is a shame because she was very nice.” Frisk beamed with false confidence.

“And so you came in to vet her on our behalf, Frisk?”

“...Yes!”

“Yesterday.”

“...Yes?”

“On the day she was leaving for the south pole, for a six month conservationist project.”

Frisk and Asriel looked at each other.

“And she had no problems with Frisk sleeping in your bed to help soothe your nightmares.”

Asgore rubbed his chin. “Huh. That sure is some awfully bad timing. Nice that she’s so tolerant of your needs though, son. She seems like a catch!” Toriel gave Asgore a withering look. He shrunk back a little. “...That’s the ‘You’re missing something’ look.” He looked pensive for a moment. “Hmmm. Waaait. Maybe… Oh. Oh! It’s not pronounced Eees car got! Thaaat’s why you want me to order with the menu number.”

Everyone stared at Asgore in various states of disbelief. He cleared his throat. “Oooor. It could be something else.”

“Our son is lying to us about having a girlfriend, dear.” 

“Oh, ok. Then who has he been sleeping with?”

Toriel turned to look at Asriel, who squirmed on the spot, making faint straining noises.

“Me. Sorry, I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

After a moment, Frisk realised that it was Frisk who had said that. Huh.

Toriel leaned forward and held a hand up to her mouth, whispering conspiratorially at Frisk. “You have a hickey on your neck, dear.”

Frisk slumped a little in their seat. Played like an idiot by a potentially centuries old goat monster.

“Well, I am disappointed in the both of you.”

Here it came. While Frisk had never been officially adopted by the Dreemurrs, they had considered Frisk to be part of the family for many years. Such a relationship was inappropriate, not to mention a gigantic conflict of interests. Frisk’s days as ambassador were done, and worse, they’d never see Asriel again. Everything was terrible and Asriel was about to open his mouth and start an argument with his own parents and everything was spiraling out of control and-

“You should have told us right away. How are we supposed to celebrate properly without prior warning?”

Frisk’s internal panic monologue, which had been spinning up to a hurricane, petered out into disbelieving shock. “W-wait, what?”

Asgore clapped his hands together. “Right! About time, then. Anyone seen the waiter? Let’s get us some champagne.”

“They did buy us wine, dear.”

“Ehh, it’s middle shelf at best. Let’s crack open something nice! We’ve both been waiting a looooong time for this.”

“Y-you have?” Asriel was lightly gripping the table to steady himself. “Why?”

Asgore reached across the table and patted Asriel on the hand gently. “Son. Frisk here moved heaven and earth for you, for longer than most people live. They did the impossible and brought you back to us, but we knew from the outset that it wasn’t just for our sakes. You don’t go that far out of your way for someone just because you feel a little guilty.”

“Honestly, we were worried you were going to wait too long, Frisk. You two have always been good together, you’ve always needed one another, one way or another.”

“Huh. Well, I suppose that’s a relief.” Frisk felt light headed. Relief? Shock? Three glasses of wine on an empty stomach? It was probably all of them.

For one very beautiful moment, Frisk’s world was entirely without problems.

“So, when are you two getting married?”

“Gorey! Give them a little bit of time to breathe before you start angling for grandkids!” Toriel chuckled as she said it.

“MUM, DAD, GOD!”

***

It was several hours later. The hallway was tilting underneath Frisk, and Asriel was next to them. They were leaning against one another, trying to make it back to the hotel room. Champagne, wine, and then some high shelf whiskey to top it off. A celebration fit for a king, If that king had roughly six times Frisk’s body mass.

Frisk grabbed for the wall and tried to fight off the sensation that the ground was trying to slip out from underneath them. Asriel was saying something, patting his pockets. Key for the room, probably a good plan. Frisk produced it from a pocket and Asriel went to grab it. He missed the first two times and then managed to snatch it, fumbling to put it into the lock. Oh, they were in front of the hotel room. When did that happen?

It was a good thing the door was self closing because neither of them were in a state to clean up after themselves or close things. The two of them left a small trail of destruction through the hotel room, discarded clothing ending up strewn nearly everywhere. After a short trip to the bathroom and a large glass of water each, they crawled into bed together, too tired and drunk to do anything but snuggle and sleep.

Darkness came. It thought that the two of them were a cute couple as it smiled down on them.

This would be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a good time writing, that's the important thing. Thanks for reading! <3


	8. Coda, Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What comes after the Reprise?
> 
> Rated Explicit for Frisk/Asriel smut, Mature otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this sitting on my hard drive for too long and I'm sorry! Have the rest of it and take care of yourselves, thank you for reading.

Frisk opened one eye. Bright, blood red. Another eye, close enough to make Frisk’s eye water.

Frisk blinked, and it was gone.

Well then.

Frisk managed to prop themselves up with both hands, groaning at the effort and discomfort. Drinking was a mistake. What was worse, they were lying in what looked like a small bed of golden flowers surrounded by an infinite darkness. The blatant unreality of it told them that this was probably some kind of dream. Unusually vivid, but a dream nonetheless.

Someone huffed. “Oh, what fun are you? Go ahead and figure it out right away why don’tcha.”

Frisk turned, looking for the source of the voice. There was no one around, but there was a childlike giggle anyway. “Who’s there?”

“Oh, don’t pretend like you don’t know me, Frisk.” They tilted their head slightly, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. Very, very slowly, Frisk looked up. The face of a small child was floating above them, close enough that their noses were almost touching. Blood red eyes again, looking right through Frisk. “After all, I know you very well, my partner.”

Frisk scrambled back and away, eyes fixed on the demon. This was impossible. Not only that, everyone was in danger. Frisk had to get away somehow, warn everyone, do something. Panic was rising in Frisk’s chest, they couldn’t breathe. Scrambling upright, Frisk turned to run and found themselves facing the flowers again, stumbling to a halt. The demon was standing in the flowers, looking as innocent as a child. Frisk looked away, behind, but there was only darkness. When they looked back, the demon was closer, its pose unchanged. Frisk raised their fists, unsure as to what the plan was if Ch… If it attacked, but they couldn’t just do nothing.

“Oh, you’re going to fight?” The demon flashed a bright, yet hideous grin. Frisk didn’t even see it move, it just suddenly accelerated towards them and was in between Frisk’s arms in an instant. “You can’t fight yourself, Frisk.” It giggled and touched Frisk on the nose, but the touch had no weight to it and Frisk didn’t feel a thing.

“You’re… You’re not here.” Frisk went to touch the demon on the shoulders, and felt nothing but empty air.

“Not outside of you, anyway. But in here…” It pointed with an illusory hand, touching the inside of Frisk’s chest. “In your soul! That’s where I am.”

Frisk tried to slap away the hand and hit only air. The demon removed the hand, probably for the sake of politeness. “N-no! I left you behind! I never called for you! You need to leave, right now! You’re… You’re dangerous.”

It laughed the high pitched cackle of a child. “Oh, Frisk. I’m only the third most dangerous person here.”

Frisk’s eyes widened and he looked from the demon to the flowers behind it. Asriel was there, kneeling down, facing away from Frisk. Frisk looked back from Asriel to where the demon had been, but it was gone.

No. Not him.

“Az!” Frisk tried not to sound panicked and completely failed, breaking into a desperate run. “Az! Say something!”

He didn’t move. He wasn’t just kneeling, he was holding onto something. It felt like the faster Frisk tried to run, the slower they went. Not real, dreaming, have to wake up, have to wake Asriel up.

We have to escape.

“I’m sorry.” Asriel was very quiet, but when Frisk heard him say it, they stopped running. Frisk was close enough to touch now. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I never thought I’d get a chance to tell you I’m sorry and I’m, I’m just…” He sobbed, and his voice broke. He hunched down a little lower. “I’m sorry, Chara!”

He was hugging it. Hugging the demon that comes when you call its name.

Chara.

As if they could hear Frisk’s thoughts, Chara opened both eyes and smiled, looking right at Frisk as they rested their face on Asriel’s shoulder.

“Asriel. I need you to let go and back away from it.”

Asriel jumped a little, leaning back and looking at Frisk, finally hearing them. “Oh! Frisk! When did you get here? Look, it’s Chara! She came back, somehow!” He looked so happy, even with bleary red eyes and tear stains down his cheeks. “We… Maybe we can all be friends now!”

“Oh, Az…” Chara spoke the name and Frisk hated it, hated the familiarity. “You know that’s not going to happen. Look at me, I’m still little, even though you got all grown up! You know why, right?”

Asriel sat back on his legs, looking defeated again. “Because… you died.”

Chara nodded. “Ya-huh! But, and this is important, Az, so I want you to look at me.” She waited, and he complied. Chara put their hands up to Asriel’s cheeks and looked him right in the eyes. “It’s not your fault.” Asriel gave a shuddering sob, putting a hand on top of one of Chara’s. “Sssh. It’s ok. Listen. Being dead really puts your problems into perspective. I’m not angry about it anymore, ok? It was a bad plan, I was angry at some people, and it wasn’t your fight. You did the best you could, but you stayed true to yourself. You’re a big softie and a crybaby; you always were.” 

Asriel chuckled, sniffing a running nose. “Well, I can’t really deny it, can I?”

“But that’s ok, that’s just how you are. You won’t hurt anyone, not if you can help it. Not as long as you’re you. And Az… I’m really, really sorry about what happened to you because of me. I never wanted for you to get hurt. But Frisk helped you, and I’m very happy that they did, that they could undo my mistake. That’s why I’m here, to say thank you to Frisk and sorry to you.”

Frisk didn’t believe a word of it. Chara was bad news. Again, Chara looked right at Frisk. Almost as if…

“I can hear you thinking, Frisk.”

Oh. Uh oh.

“It’s because of you that Az is alive again! But when you reached out and grabbed him, well, that was back when I was still around, kinda. When I died, Asriel put my soul inside his own. Then, when we died again, I went… Poof!” Chara gestured with their tiny hands, miming something exploding into dust. “But, a little bit of me was still mixed with Az. And when you took him, that little bit ended up in the both of you! That’s why I can come here, and that’s why I can hear you when you’re thinking.” Chara stood up, dusting their legs off carefully. “I hear everything, Frisk. I hear all the things that you think about everyone around you. I bet you thought that was private, huh?”

Asriel looked from Chara to Frisk. “Really? Can you hear me too?”

“You’re all… Squiggly. There’s something in you that’s in the way, Az. But Frisk is like a picture book in nice big, friendly letters. Frisk thinks about a lot of things, a lot of people, a lot of monsters. They think about you a lot too, Az!”

“Oh. Um. Maybe someone your age shouldn’t be…”

Chara sniggered, like a kid with their hand caught in a cookie jar. “Maybe! But I do, because I don’t have much else to do these days. And boy, if only you could see what Frisk thought! They care about you a lot. Like. A whole lot.”

Frisk considered, along with rising panic, the many things that they had thought to themselves over the years. Witty asides. Snarky comments. Lustful imaginings. Hurtful observations.

“Mmmmhmm! All those things you thought no one could hear, Frisk! Well, I’m always listening, and I have some things to say about them.” Frisk blinked and Chara was gone again. Asriel started, looking around for Chara.

“Did you think that you were above consequences?” Chara whispered right in Frisk’s ear, too quietly for Asriel to hear. Frisk froze, too shocked to move. “You see everything as problems to be overcome, you see everyone as a set of outcomes that you can manipulate. You think that the entire world and all of time is just something for you to use, as you see fit. You want something, and then you take it, and nothing in the entire world can stand in your way. You decide to break the barrier, and it happens. You decide to abandon me in the middle of our work, because the cost was too high, because you couldn’t go through with it, and it happens, no matter how loud I scream. You decide you want Asriel, my only brother, and what can he do but go along with your request? Well, I want you to know, if the world could hear what you thought to yourself, if they all knew how you saw them, they might think of you a little differently. You’re like a god, Frisk. You can decide who lives and who dies. Every person who dies in the entire world. You could have done something to save them, but you don’t. I think that you’re only good because it suits you, because you like having friends. Not because it’s the right thing to do, just because it’s more satisfying. Well, there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it, but I can do two things. I can always be listening, waiting, watching. And I can make it so that I’m not the only one.”

Chara was beside Asriel again. This time, she whispered something in his ear. He looked shocked. Chara winked at Frisk.

“Meet another of the consequences of your actions, Frisk. Something to level the playing field, so that my brother has a fighting chance. I’ll leave you two alone now, so that you can get to know one another better! Bye, Az! Bye, Frisk!”

Chara waved, and then, was gone. Frisk didn’t even have time to be relieved. Asriel shivered and fell to his knees, covering his mouth with one hand and clutching at his stomach with the other.

“Az! What did they do?” Frisk rushed over to his side, but they couldn’t see any injuries. Asriel shuddered again, made a muffled sound accompanied by a heaving motion, and something black and oily started leaking out from around the fingers over his mouth. It was viscous, with a rainbow sheen, and a droplet of it ran down Asriel’s hand, staining the white fur. The black stain was spreading out from under his hand, and his eyes were closed.

This was not good.

Asriel’s eyes snapped open. Black, with white pupils. Familiar. He pulled his hand away from his mouth and left behind long, sticky strands of blackness which snapped and fell, landing across his arms and along his legs.

“You recognise me, Frisk. Well, it’s good to see you too.”

Now, Frisk thought to themselves, would be an amazing time to wake up.

“Don’t think that waking up will end this, Frisk. I’ve been here all along, waiting. I reached through time for you. Did you really think this would be the last you saw of me?”

***

There was a discontinuity. It was later, although how much later Frisk couldn’t tell. They felt kind of… Grimy. In desperate need of a shower.

Real sunlight was shining in Frisk’s eyes. They felt as though they had been brutally beaten, and several seconds after waking up, the intense sickness of the hangover began in earnest. Frisk groaned for mercy, struggling to separate what was real, what was a dream, and what was shaping up to be a god-awful hangover. They struggled up onto one arm and looked over at Asriel, who was snoozing peacefully, looking totally normal. That was a relief. Maybe it was all just a bad dream?

No more drinking. Bad plan.


	9. Coda, Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What comes after the Reprise?
> 
> Rated Explicit for Frisk/Asriel smut, Mature otherwise.

Asriel floated somewhere just under the surface of wakefulness. It was warm, comfortable, safe. Familiar arms were wrapped around him. He was content. Rather than rise to consciousness, Asriel decided to indulge himself a little, slipping back under. Not into dream, but into memory.

Specifically, the first time Frisk got arrested. Actually, this particular memory might be a bad choice. After all, it started with a rather unpleasant-

***

Splat.

Asriel thrashed wildly, spluttering and trying to pull his face out of the thick, rancid mud. He collapsed back into it again as one of the kids hurled his backpack onto his head. It was heavy with school books, books that would be ruined now, and it hurt when it hit him. The delighted laughter of the group of kids watching him squirm hurt, too.

The group of kids had obviously been planning this all morning. For one, it was abundantly clear that this mud puddle was more than just water and dirt. There was the telltale, acrid taint of urine all throughout the murky goop that was now plastering his face, making Asriel gag and choke as he tried to cough it out of his mouth. It was everywhere, twisting and matting his soft white fur. It would take ages to clean up, and the stench would certainly be making his eyes water for the duration. But the real indication of premeditation was the carefully prepared speech.

“You like that mud, you little shit? We made it just for you, so you can be where you belong.”

Asriel managed to clear one eye well enough to see, looking blearily up at the ringleader. He was a short, sorta frumpy kid with a mean face and a reddish complexion.

“Please, just leave me alone…” Asriel murmured, looking away from the boy’s gaze. It was hurtful, full of stinging hatred.

The kid laughed. The rest of the group hurriedly joined in. No one wanted to be the last one to laugh at the funny joke, all of them sensing the danger in the air. They had obviously joked about this, about showing that weird monster who was boss, but no one had expected things to go this far. But the ringleader, he had something to prove, and lots more to say.

“Oh, I’ll leave you alone alright. Everyone’s going to leave you alone, eventually.” The kid leaned closer, his nose wrinkling at the foul stench that was now clinging to Asriel. “But you know that already, don’t you?”

“N-no…”

 

“Yeah. I know all about you, little freak. My dad talks about you all the time, ‘specially when he’s drinking. Says that you’re an abomination. He uses that word a lot.”

Asriel managed to pull his bag free of the muck, bringing it between him and the kid, hugging it slightly as if he could hide behind it. But, it was abundantly clear that there would be no hiding, not until the ringleader had finished his speech.

“Yeah. Abomination.” The kid sounded out the word, savouring each hateful syllable. “Dad says, the prince died a long time ago. But, here you are, claiming to be the prince! How does that work?”

He paused for a moment, letting it sink in.

“It doesn’t. You’re a fake. A pretend prince. The whole thing stinks, if you ask me. Dad doesn’t know if you were brought back, or made new, or if you were just hiding the whole time, but he reckons that things that are dead should stay dead. That’s just natural. You’re dirt. So, now you’re in the dirt.”

He looked so pleased with himself and his profound statement, as though he had spent all afternoon coming up with it. One of the other kids gave a weak, half hearted hoot, as if this was some kind of spicy schoolyard rumor. Asriel was sniffing, trying to hold in tears.

“Go ahead, freak. Cry. See if it’ll save you. I know your game! Dirt can’t feel things, it can only pretend. Cry for attention, to make me go easy on you, to try and convince us you’re not a copy. I dare you.” The kid leaned even closer, and Asriel could see death in his eyes. “Maybe dirt can’t feel pain either. Maybe I should teach you your place proper.”

“H-hey…” One of the other kids interrupted. The ringleader started at the noise, snapping his furious gaze towards the interruption with a boggled, hateful expression. The sudden movement made everyone flinch. “Maybe… we shouldn’t hurt him. We might get in trouble.”

“What!? Who died and made you boss of me?” The kid snarled, but the danger and the maniac high of the moment had passed, as quickly as it came. He looked back at Asriel, but this time it was just a distasteful frown. He harrumphed, cleared his throat, and spat directly in Asriel’s eyes. Asriel flinched as though he had been kicked, but the kid didn’t even bother looking, already turning and walking away.

“Fuck this. Come on guys, we’re leaving.”

Asriel managed to wait until the last of them had slunk around the corner before he burst into tears.

***

Frisk opened the door, looking worried. After all, Asriel was late.

“I’m sorry.” Was all Asriel could manage, in a tiny voice. He was still dripping slightly with the foul muck and he reeked of piss. He had his ruined backpack clutched tightly in front of him with both hands. He was shaking, slightly. It had been a long walk home.

Frisk opened their mouth, blinked in surprise, and then closed their mouth again.

“I-I know you wanted to do some stuff this afternoon and I’m late, and, and, I’m s-sorry, I’m so sorry Frisk I didn’t mean to but there were these kids and they, they-” Asriel sniffed loudly, and then hiccuped, his words running together as he lost control. “They pushed me into the mud and called me a fake and said I was dirt and that everyone would leave me eventually and I think they might be right and I’m sooorheeeheheeee-”

Frisk didn’t even hesitate, despite the stinking mud, reaching forward and pulling Asriel into a tight hug as he lost it, his words devolving into sobbing.

“Shhh. Shhhh. It’s ok, you’re safe now.” Frisk patted Asriel on the back, carefully peeling the backpack out of Asriel’s death grip and depositing it on the porch with a splat. Frisk turned and gently pushed Asriel through the door, hooking it closed with a foot, not willing to let go of Asriel for an instant. “Let’s get you cleaned up, ok?”

Asriel continued to apologize profusely as despite their combined best efforts, they left a trail of the foul mess throughout the house on the way to the bathroom. Frisk kicked the various clean towels and bathmats out of the way, lest they become infected, and turned the shower on, setting it to a nice temperature before guiding Asriel inside. Frisk climbed in after him, clothes and all. They were marred by the mud now, too. By now, Asriel had subsided to sniffles and the occasional hiccup, red eyed and sullen.

“Alright, let’s get that shirt off.” Frisk was patient, gentle, barely speaking above a whisper.

“‘s my favourite shirt…” Asriel murmured quietly, looking down at the stained fabric.

“I know, I know. We’ll get it cleaned real good, ok? Arms up, come on.” Frisk fussed, peeling the fabric off of Asriel. It was definitely ruined. Frisk put it aside in the corner of the shower anyway.

Asriel had cottoned on to Frisk’s plan at this point, wiggling his shorts off and kicking his sodden shoes into the same corner. The mud had managed to work its way basically everywhere, and now his fur was matted and tangled with it. Frisk crouched down and patted the tiles, and Asriel slowly sat down in the shower, hugging his knees.

It took an hour. Asriel started crying a few more times as Frisk patiently worked through his fur with a comb, washing and rinsing, undoing tangles, liberally applying soap and shampoo. The scent lingered even after the bulk of the mud was gone, and it continued to burn Asriel’s sensitive sense of smell. Frisk barely noticed; they were so intent on their work. After he was clean, they cuddled in the shower for a little while, Asriel resting against Frisk as Frisk petted him soothingly, the gentle touch and the warm water soothing him. Well, until the hot water ran out.

“So.” Frisk started as they both sat in the kitchen, wrapped in towels and sipping cocoa. “Who did this?”

“O-oh. It was just some stupid kids. A dumb prank, y-you know?” Asriel avoided Frisk’s gaze. He didn’t want to cause any more trouble, he just wanted to forget about this.

“Mm. Just a prank. Really funny. Kids being kids.” Frisk muttered as they sipped their cocoa. “But... Who did it?”

“I, uh, I don’t know their names.” Asriel was starting to get worried. Frisk was staring at nothing, clearly not seeing the kitchen in front of them. They looked… well, Determined.

“I see. Think you might recognize them, if you saw them again?”

Asriel pictured the ringleader. He could see the freckles, the bead of sweat, the pattern of his irises, the pores of his skin, and the strand of drool between the gap of his front teeth. It was entirely possible that Asriel would remember the face until the day he died.

“Probably not… I-I mean, maybe? It all happened so fast.”

“Mm. Where did you say this happened, again?”

***

Asriel was up in his room, hiding. The wardrobe door was open just a crack, to let in some light, and Asriel was dozing tucked neatly between an oversized coat and some soft, fleecy pants, hugging a pillow between his chest and knees. On days like this, he didn’t bother to fight the urge to hide from the world. It was a little warmer and safer, in the darkness.

The sound of knocking on the front door startled Asriel out of his trance. He opened one eye, cocking his head slightly. On the wall of his room, there were flashing blue and red lights. He crawled out of his hidey hole, taking a moment to stretch out some of the kinks in his back, before padding over to the window and looking down at the driveway.

In the dusk, the strobing lights of the police cruiser hurt his eyes. Down on the ground floor, there were figures standing by the front door. Asriel could faintly make out the voices.

“Ms. Dreemurr?”

“Um, yes?”

“I believe that, uh, Frisk here has something they want to tell you.”

“Frisk? Oh, my goodness! You’re bleeding! What happened, child?”

“Frisk here was involved in an incident earlier today involving several other children. Two of them are currently in hospital, ma’am. And Frisk, apparently, started it.”

“What?! Why? Why would you do this?”

“They were mean to Az.” Asriel inhaled sharply, leaning closer to the window. That was Frisk’s voice. “I… I had to do something.”

The police officer made a disapproving noise. “We only have the statements of the children involved to go off of, but it seems as though there was an incident earlier today involving your other child, and this was a reaction to it.” 

“But Asriel... He said he had a bad day at school, but that was all.”

“It was apparently a little more than that. Look, ma’am, sir, it’s been a long day. No one involved wants to press charges, and I’d recommend that you leave it at that. As far as I’m concerned, this is between you and your children now. If you want the full details, you should ask them. You should also give Frisk a stern talking to, and let them know that violence doesn’t solve problems. Next time, they might not be so lucky.”

“O-of course.”

“We do apologise for the inconvenience, officer. We’ll be sure to have a long discussion about this. We wouldn’t want for anything like this to happen again.” That was Dad. His voice was very clipped and formal sounding, definitely hiding some kind of emotion.

“See that you do. Now, just before I go, I’d like to officially recommend that your children travel to and from school either together or with supervision from now on, for the sake of safety. I’d also like to unofficially state that, although I can’t condone Frisk’s behaviour, I do think they acted out of a desire to protect their brother. I have a younger sister myself, I understand. As long as the two of them look out for each other, they’re going to be fine, I think.”

“Okay. Thank you, officer.”

“My pleasure. Y’all have a pleasant evening.”

The door was shut. Toriel sounded worried but also relieved as she scolded Frisk. Asgore sounded, of all things, impressed, if suitably stern. The entire affair lasted an hour, sometimes they were too quiet to hear. Eventually, Frisk opened the door and slipped into the room, alone. Asriel was waiting, sitting on the floor next to the bed, still hugging the pillow.

Wordlessly, Frisk shuffled to the end of the bed and sat down. The bed creaked gently. Asriel looked up from the spot on the floor he had been contemplating, and regarded Frisk. Even in the darkness outside of Asriel’s lamplight, it was clear that Frisk had a black eye and recently healed cuts on their face. That was his mother’s work, for sure.

“That looks like it hurts.”

Frisk chuckled, but there was no humour to it. “I’ve had worse.” Despite the brave face, Asriel noticed hesitance and caution in Frisk’s movement. Both of Frisk’s hands were hidden in their sleeves, perhaps intentionally.

They stared at one another in silence for a moment.

“So. Are you ok?” Frisk asked, sounding tired.

“Yeah. ...No, not really. I’ll live, though. What about you?”

“The worst injury was to my pride.”

“So… You found them, then. Did you really go out there just to fight for me?”

Frisk sighed, rubbing their face with their sleeve, wincing a little. “I... I didn’t go out there to fight anyone. I just wanted to talk.”

“Must have been some talk.”

“It started as one. But…”

Asriel saw something he couldn’t remember ever seeing before. Frisk looked… lost. Asriel placed the pillow aside and hoisted himself up onto the bed, next to Frisk, putting a hand on Frisk’s shoulder.

“What happened?”

“He was so smug.” Frisk stared off into the middle distance, clearly not seeing the room anymore. “I saw the look on his face when he spoke about what he did to you, and I remembered how you looked when I opened the door… And… I was just... So angry. I only wanted to tell them to back off, maybe talk to someone’s parents. But…”

Frisk looked down at their hands, still hidden in the sleeves. Asriel reached out slowly and peeled one back. It was sticky with blood, and Frisk gasped in pain as he pulled at the fabric.

“Oh.”

“Az, I think I might have broken something.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I mean, apart from my knuckles.”

Asriel looked up from the bloody mess to Frisk. “Huh?”

“I… I wanted to hurt him. To punish him. The urge, the rage. It was overwhelming. I definitely broke his teeth. And then the rest of them, well, they fought back. It happened so quickly. It was… So easy.” Frisk looked up at Asriel, and Asriel was horrified to see that they were crying. “Is that who I am?”

“No. No! Of course not! You were, you were just, you know, angry. You over reacted. That happens, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

“I’m supposed to be better than that! I don’t get angry! I’m supposed to, to…” Frisk sniffed, their voice cracking. “...To be better.”

Asriel gently took one of Frisk’s hands in his own. Frisk blinked, trying to clear their vision of tears, looking down in surprise. Asriel smiled.

“You did it because you care. It was for a good reason, even if it was a bad thing. I appreciate that you tried to stick up for me, ok? But you don’t have to fight anyone for me. I’ll take care of you, just like you take care of me.”

“R-really?”

Asriel nodded, and then bowed his head, trying to focus. Frisk had hidden these wounds from his mother, presumably because they were ashamed of them. Well, that was fine.

Frisk cared so much about him. It was so strong, it was kind of scary. But Asriel cared about Frisk too. He could feel it, like a warm light. Taking a deep breath, Asriel slowly coaxed that light upwards, out of the depths and out into the world. A soft green glow crept between his fingers, and Frisk’s eyes widened. Healing magic. Asriel has never managed to get it to work before.

After a moment, Asriel took his hand away. The blood was still there, but the skin under it was knit and unblemished. Frisk lifted the hand and wiggled their fingers experimentally.

“You did it... Wow!”

“Don’t get too excited, I still gotta do the other hand and... I’m not super sure how I did that.”

“You literally just did it.”

Asriel shrugged awkwardly. “Magic is hard!”

Frisk looked incredulous for a moment, and Asriel cracked an awkward smile. Frisk broke first, sniggering and putting their good hand up to their face to wipe away the last of their tears. Asriel relaxed a little, relieved to see Frisk back to something resembling normal.

“Well, at least we know it can be done. Sooner would be better than later though.” Frisk offered Asriel their other hand. “This kinda sorta really, really hurts.”

***

The hotel room’s ceiling was an off white. The sun suggested that it was late morning. Asriel could hear Frisk in the bathroom, singing the telltale song of the morning after. There was a heaving sound, a wet sound, and then a pained groan. Asriel took a moment to lie on the bed, feeling equal parts emotionally drained and thankful for his comparatively mild hangover. That memory… The whole thing had happened a long time ago. He hadn’t thought about it in years. Why was he remembering it now?

The sound of a toilet flushing interrupted his musing. It sounded chunky. Asriel took a deep breath and sat up. Time to go look after Frisk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this sitting on my hard drive for too long and I'm sorry! Have the rest of it and take care of yourselves, thank you for reading.


	10. Coda, Chapter 10, Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been some time. Frisk and Asriel have had a while to think about things, and have each come to their own conclusions about the future. Only one thing is for certain: You'd better stay Determined.
> 
> Adult Asriel/Frisk, some swearing.

Part one.

All dreams end.

Frisk stared at the ceiling. They didn’t remember sleeping, but it was later in the afternoon than it had been. The shadows were different, the mug of coffee on the table was cold, their mouth was dry.

It still hurt, though.

Frisk sighed, sitting up on the couch and shuffling around until they could reach the mug. Cold, it was awful and bitter, cheap office coffee. Frisk took a second sip anyway.

At some point in the future, the ambassador’s office would have a for real espresso machine, but that was a ways off yet.

At some point in the past, Frisk had woken up to a warm smile instead of a beige ceiling.

Frisk cursed under their breath and put the mug back down, rubbing their eyes. Focus, damn it.

It had been around a month since… Since Asriel. At the time, it had seemed like a wonderful dream, exciting and without end. But, eventually, Asgore and Toriel had wanted some time with their son. The tour bus was set to depart for the next city. The words had died in Frisk’s throat.

“I’ll call you.”

That was not what Frisk had meant to say. Asriel seemed to know it, even though he also looked hurt. He had recovered, given everyone a friendly wave, and stepped into the darkness and away from Frisk.

A month ago. All the momentum, all the ideas, it had all crawled to a halt and died. Work had piled up in Frisk’s absence and catching up had proven difficult, not in the least because of the constant daydreaming that plucked at Frisk’s ability to concentrate, or the unusual and vivid dreams that they had started having about Asriel, and… Well, those had been very unusual.

As a result, Frisk was short tempered and tired, grumpy even. Frisk hated being grumpy. They hadn’t torn the world and time into pieces for the sake of being grumpy.

Frisk sighed and pushed the mug away, pulling themselves to their feet. This powernap was a power-waste of time, and there was no way any more work was getting done today with instant coffee. It was time for a more drastic measure.

***

The best cafes were usually the ones hidden out of the way. This one was in a side street down another side street, its very existence more of an urban rumour than a tourist attraction. The kind of place with a low ceiling, dim lighting, and no cakes or snacks of any kind.

There was only one reason to come here.

The barista was a human today, one Frisk didn’t recognize. Apparently, it wasn’t mutual.

“Ambassador.” He gave a curt nod towards one of the three stools in front of the bench. Frisk obliged, sitting and taking a deep breath of the scents of real espresso.

“You know who I am?”

“I was warned. The usual, then?”

Frisk looked down, lips pursed. “Mmm. Not this time. Gimme… Full power.”

The barista looked shocked. “Are you sure? This shit is actual, for real magic beans. We’re not liable if you literally float away.”

“Do I look like I’m interested in liability?”

“Actually, you kinda look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

Frisk considered this while the barista got out the thick oven mitts and pulled the ominous looking silver container out from under the counter. How long had it been since they had gotten a decent sleep? There had been so much to do, so many things on their mind.

Asriel turned to look at Frisk and smiled.

Frisk started. “Huh?”

“I said, 6.50 and sign this release form.”

“Right, right. Sorry.” Frisk counted out the money and gave the barista a small tip by way of apology, taking the cup and slipping back onto their feet.

The walk back was windy. Not many people were out at this time of day. The coffee was too hot to drink yet, and the promise of energy wasn’t worth the burnt mouth, not to mention the mounting apprehension as to what exactly was in those magic beans. The liquid visible through the opening in the lid had an almost purple sheen to it.

What the hell had happened, back there?

Frisk sighed again. No point in trying to deny the obvious. Every time their focus slipped, they thought about Asriel again. It was impossible to keep him away, he had infected Frisk’s thoughts.

This was why things were better like this. Frisk set their teeth, their free hand curling into a fist in their pocket. Better for the both of them. They were both caught in Frisk’s obsession.

That’s what it was, after all. Frisk should have known better. After decades of calculation, planning, experimentation, what else would the outcome have been? Asriel had consumed Frisk’s every waking moment for longer than most people lived. And after everything, Frisk had been foolish enough to believe that they could just part ways, Asriel living his life, the life that he had been denied, as though Frisk were a benevolent deity capable of granting such boons.

Frisk didn’t feel divine. Frisk felt needy, and selfish.

Frisk needed Asriel. The revelation had broken their sleep, and it had stayed broken.

Back then, before he had gotten on the bus, Frisk had meant to say “I love you”. But… Maybe that was just wishful thinking. Was it even possible to love someone, when you were so obsessed with them?

Frisk desired Asriel, as though he was some kind of possession, a prize to be won. He had been saved, and now the reward was at hand. Frisk had set about obtaining him, claiming him, with the same relentless Determination that had driven them to save him, to save everyone.

As if he had stood a chance. How do you say no to someone for whom their whole life has been spent rejecting the very notion of no? Frisk had looked the very fabric of reality in the eye and caused it to back down. What hope did Asriel have, denying them?

Could they even be together? Was it possible for Frisk to love them, or were they doomed to covet him, to desire him simply because they did not possess him?

“You want something, and then you take it, and nothing in the entire world can stand in your way.”

The words echoed, like poison. Real or not, Chara saw Frisk for what they were: selfish, entitled, unstoppable.

There was one last thing to save Asriel from, before he would be free from his fate and all the strings that bound him to that patch of flowers. Frisk.

Frisk stopped at the side entrance to the office building that housed the current ambassador’s office. The door was reflective blue glass, polished to a mirror shine. They looked at themselves in the glass, taking it in.

The last thing to defeat. A final enemy. Me.

Frisk shook themselves, gripping the handle and pushing the door open. Not long after, Frisk’s sputtering and choking was audible.

“Augh! What’s IN this coffee?”

***

It was later. According to the phone, it was not tomorrow, but the day after that. Frisk groaned, compelled by the twin calls of thirst and nature to escape from the bed sheets.

When Frisk emerged from the bathroom, they wandered to the kitchen, grabbing a used glass and filling it from the tap, then wandering over to the big glass window that made up one of the walls of Frisk’s apartment. The city was outlined in lights and shrouded in night, maybe a little bit past 3 am.

That coffee had been a poor choice.

The paperwork was done, sure, but Frisk’s sleep schedule would take days to recover. Besides that, Frisk felt as though they had been physically beaten. All in all, a terrible idea. It would be at least a week before Frisk would go back for more. At least.

Frisk pulled their phone back out, grimacing at the gigantic wall of notifications it presented. Emails, missed calls, program updates. Texts. One caught Frisk’s eye, setting their teeth on edge.

‘Dreemurr, Asriel - hey frisk just checking in havent heard from you for a while an…’

Frisk flicked the screen back off and groaned, leaning against the kitchen counter. This couldn’t continue, not like this. Asriel would notice if Frisk ignored him in favour of work much longer, and Frisk could already see the dramatic entrance happening. He’d come in, sweep Frisk off of their feet and they’d both away into the sunset on a diamond horse with rainbows shooting out of its ass.

Avoiding the problem wouldn’t solve it. The problem being that Frisk didn’t trust themselves to not just… Give in. And Frisk didn’t trust Asriel to not just go along with it.

Or worse. Maybe he really did love Frisk back. That would be the cruelest thing of all.

There was no hope of them having a healthy relationship. It was wrong, and Frisk would have to be the voice of reason. Frisk would have to be strong, and confront this head on, like every other problem. Passively hoping that the prince would get bored and move on wasn’t going to cut it any more.

Frisk opened the phone back up, gritting their teeth and bearing the wave of elation and anxiety that accompanied Asriel’s name. They scanned his recent messages.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding.”

He was coming, alright. The last stop of the tour was this city, just a few blocks over. He was already on the bus, and the last show was in a handful of days. He was expecting to see Frisk there.

Great. Dramatic irony, Frisk’s least favourite kind of irony. The show was coming to an end, the final curtain was approaching.

Frisk took one last, deep breath, trying to bring their emotional turmoil to rest. A little sooner than they were anticipating, but that was fine. Frisk would just have to get it over with as quickly as possible, like ripping off a bandage.

Go see Asriel at the show and tell him that they had to be apart, for both their sakes. Break up. Frisk would let him go, and that way, at least Asriel would have the chance to be happy.

That was what was important. Frisk would survive, like usual. It would be easier, maybe, knowing that Asriel was finally free of the curse of Determination.

One last dawn approached, reaching out into the sky and pushing the stars away. Frisk couldn’t help but feel like it was the beginning of the end.

All dreams end, after all.

***

Part two.

Asriel idly plucked at the strings of his guitar, loosely following along with the recording he was listening to. He was lying on the bed, looking at nothing in particular on the ceiling, neatly cocooned in a tangle of headphone wires and chargers for the various devices on the bed with him. The last show had gone pretty well, but this last one was going to be the biggest of the tour, and he wanted to get it just right.

His reached up and fumbled with his phone for a moment, restarting the song and then returning to the instrument resting on his stomach. His fingers and ears started to work, barely involving his mind, so he let that wander as he practiced.

There were no do-overs, up on the stage.

***

Another memory. Asriel had been thinking about the past a lot lately. This one was washed out, the colours desaturated, the world out of focus. Everything was unimportant, except for the blood.

It was red. Humans were dramatic like that.

“I-it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine! You’re bleeding!”

Frisk tried to wave Asriel away, but there was no strength in it. They were woozy, although that was probably just shock.

“I’ve had way worse than this. Don’t even worry about it…” They sounded like they were about to pass out.

“Don’t-! L-look, sit down, I’m gonna, uh…” Asriel looked around frantically as he helped Frisk away from the broken window, trying to remember where they kept the first aid box.

“You can’t do healing, remember? This is nothin’, I’ll just, hah, ‘m gonna Reset a little. It’ll be good as new.”

Asriel wheeled around to look at Frisk. “No! N-no, don’t. Please.”

Frisk winced, cradling their cut arm with the other arm as they sat down. “Ah!” They sucked a deep breath in through between clenched teeth, going steadily whiter in the face. “C-Come on, Az. What’s the problem? Just a moment back, and then you don’t have to worry about it. B-besides, this… Really hurts…”

Asriel looked away, down at the ground, clenching his fists. He sniffed a little, trying to hold back the familiar urge to cry. “I… It’s because, it’s important. I pushed you and you got hurt.”

“Ah, no big deal. We were just playing. I forgive you.”

“No, not that! I mean, I… I screwed up, Frisk, and I’m sorry. Let me fix it, ok? I’m gonna go get the first aid stuff, stay here. And don’t Reset!”

Frisk took another pained breath, grimacing down at the blood leaking around their fingers. “...It’s a proper kit, right? I guess I can tell you how to stop the bleeding, at least until your mum gets home.”

“Right! I’ll be right back. Promise me, whatever you do, don’t Reset this, ok? You have to let me try to fix this, instead of just sweeping it under the rug like it never happened. It’s important to me.” Asriel gave one of his gentle smiles, and then hopped up and scampered towards the kitchen. That was where it was, up in the top of the pantry, he remembered now.

Asriel has watched the whole scene play out, a small splash of colour in a white void. The intense focus of a child. He sort of missed it, to be honest.

His younger self was gone, somewhere else. Frisk, still a child here, had watched him run off. Asriel couldn’t tell if he had actually heard this bit, or if he’d imagined it. With a memory like this, it was hard to tell.

Asriel crouched down and looked closely at Frisk, as Frisk looked in the direction Asriel had run off. They looked oddly sober, considering how woozy they had been a moment prior.

“I… I promise. I won’t Reset. I’ll wait for you, even if it hurts.”

***

Silence. The recording was long over. Asriel opened his eyes and blinked, focusing on the ceiling with a moment’s effort. Weird, to dream about that now, of all times. Frisk still had the scar, a thin line along one forearm. They almost seemed proud of it, sometimes.

Asriel shook off the cobwebs of memory and rolled over, trying to extract himself from the web of cables he’d spun. After a moment’s hunt, he located his phone and opened it up.

Oh, speak of the devil. Frisk had responded to his message. They’d been really busy with the whole Ambassador thing for the past few weeks, playing catchup presumably, so they hadn’t talked much. Not since… Well.

Asriel was looking forward to seeing Frisk again, at the very least. By sheer happenstance, the last stop on the tour was Frisk’s home city, a coincidence Asriel was more than happy to capitalize on. The thought of it made him smile, a guilty little grin as he put the guitar aside and slipped off of the bed, reaching under and pulling the little box he’d hidden there out into the light.

Something special for someone special. The very idea of it made him blush, embarrassed but excited.

Frisk was going to love this.

***

Part three.

Frisk leaned against the wall, looking out into the darkness.

It was quiet. The show wasn’t for a few hours yet, but Asriel was somewhere around here. The stage was setup, and everyone was elsewhere, attending to their business. Frisk pulled their phone out one last time, double checking the message.

‘meet me at the stage at 1, i have something to show you ] :)’

This was definitely the place, then. It was a few minutes before one, so Frisk wandered down the dimly lit stadium, trailing their fingers along the backs of the seats. There were some steps at the corner of the stage, and Frisk could see a curtain behind the drum kit with a light shining through it. Maybe he was lurking somewhere out there.

Frisk took a deep breath, trying to calm their nerves. The resolve was still there, a dull ache. It refused to be ignored. No matter what happened, this was it.

The end.

Frisk climbed up onto the stage.

“I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Frisk, to their credit, managed not to scream. “Gh-! Az, come on, don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry.” Asriel grinned, not looking even the slightest bit sorry, slipping down off of the box he was perched on. Frisk spied a bottle of beer up there, an unusual sight. Asriel wasn’t normally the type to just casually drink before a show. “You’re only a handful of minutes early today, everything ok?”

He walked up close, and Frisk tried not to flinch as Asriel hugged them. He was warm, soft, and smelled like home. Frisk gently patted him on the back, returning the hug as platonically as possible.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just, you know, tired, overworked.”

“I really need to get you a real holiday, put some distance between you and all your troubles.”

“That would be nice.” Frisk sighed, pulling away. The ache in their gut was getting worse, a twisting knot of anxiety and stress. “...Listen. I… I uh…”

“I got you something.”

“Y-you what?”

Asriel grinned, hopping over to the box he had been sitting on and springing up slightly, fumbling around in the darkness for a moment and then sliding back down to earth. He had a tiny box in one hand, like you’d get from a jewelers.

Oh no.

He turned the box over in his hands nervously.

“So… I’ve been thinking. A lot. About that whole… Thing we had.”

“Me too.” That was the truth, at least.

“And I know you’ve been busy and, well, sometimes you can struggle a little to express yourself at times like this. N-not that I’m much better! But, well, ah…” He petered out, struggling to find the right words, looking at the box as if it would inspire him. “...Frisk. When I think about you, I feel like… I haven’t felt that way in a long time. For a long time, I was convinced I’d never feel like that again. It’s confusing, and scary, and exciting, and, well, I want you to have this.”

Frisk’s heart seemed to stop as he opened the box and turned it to show them the contents.

Inside, there was a red locket. A heart.

Frisk remembered to keep breathing after a moment, looking wordlessly from it to Asriel.

“But… That’s…”

He grinned, reaching into his shirt with his spare hand and fishing out a similar looking pendant.

“You gave this one back to me, yeah. This one was Chara’s. But this new one…” He hefted the box, looking at it intently. “I made it for you. It’s… Special to me. I only make these for people that I… L-Love.”

He was blushing. He looked shyly from the pendant to Frisk, smiling.

Frisk shook their head, backing away. His expression faded, being replaced by confusion.

“I-I can’t. I can’t.”

“Wha… What do you mean?” Now he looked hurt. It was like being stabbed, it hurt so much to see him disappointed.

“I can’t!” The shout echoed throughout the empty stadium.

“But… Why?”

“Because… Because I shouldn’t. It’s not right. You deserve better.”

“Better? What are you talking about?”

“Az, I… I’m not normal. I’m broken. No, worse. I’m determined.” Frisk took another step back, wrapping their arms around their middle, keenly aware of how cold it was without Asriel there. “It’s like a sickness. You should stay away.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” He looked confused, upset, maybe even angry. This was the last thing he had been expecting, obviously. “Your determination is the whole reason I’m even here! Why would you call it a sickness?”

“It’s poison. I can’t turn it off. No matter how hard I try, I can’t just… Settle. I keep on looking for new things to do, new stuff to discover. I use things up. I use people up. Like they’re… Objects. And once I’m done with them, I move on. When was the last time I spoke to anyone else from the underground, Az?”

“H-how should I know? A while, I guess?”

“It’s like they’re not even real anymore. I did it all, saw everything I wanted to see, and then I left them behind. Like some kind of parasite. I don’t want that for you, I couldn’t forgive myself for doing that to you.”

“Come on, Frisk! It’s normal to drift apart from people sometimes, it’s not like they’re gone!”

“Listen to you, defending me against myself. Don’t you realise that I’ve just… Pressured you into this? I kept at you until you had no choice but to relent, just like everything and everyone else in this world. What kind of fucked up relationship is that? It’s the cruelest thing I’ve ever done, to make you love me.”

Frisk had subsided to a whisper. They leant against one of the speakers by the front of the stage, slumping to the ground, looking absently at a vacant spot on the floor. Asriel was silent.

“I should just go. Leave, never bother you again. You should just leave me alone, for your own good.”

“...I don’t believe you.”

Frisk blinked and looked up at Asriel. He had his fists clenched, his jaw was set. He was gripping the pendant, the one he had made for Frisk, in one hand. It was shaking with the effort.

“You… Don’t?”

“Not one word. You’re not broken, you don’t use people up, you’re not a parasite, and you didn’t pressure me into anything. Frisk, you’re a hero, and a good friend, and-”

“I’m not! All the things I did, I did them because I had to! I couldn’t stop myself! I’m no hero. Hell, I’m not even a good person. I look at people, at monsters, and sometimes… I- I have to decide to not… W-what sort of hero has to decide not to kill people? Like it’s some fucking choice? I’m dangerous, and you need to stay far away from me.”

“No.”

Frisk faltered. What more could they say, to make Asriel understand? Why didn’t he care? It didn’t make any sense.

Frisk got to their feet. It he wouldn’t see reason, Frisk would have to see it for him. They’d leave, and that would be that.

Asriel was waiting, between Frisk and the stairs.

“...You’re in my way. I’m leaving.”

“I won’t let you. I won’t let you do this to yourself either. I don’t believe you for a second, Frisk. You think that you’re dangerous, that I’d be better off without you, that your good deeds somehow don’t count. I think you’re wrong, and I don’t think you want to leave me like this.”

“Get out of the way, Az. Don’t make me go through you.”

“You want to leave so badly?” He spread his arms. “Prove it. Prove to me that you’re strong enough to walk away.”

Asriel blocked the way.

***

Asriel regarded Frisk. He was hurt, angry even, but that could wait. Frisk needed him, perhaps now more than ever. They didn’t even seem to be aware of the tears staining their cheeks.

“You know… I thought I didn’t care anymore. I had won. I saved everyone. Even you, Az. There was no more reason to Reset, and I was free.”

Frisk clenched their fist, shaking. Asriel stood his ground, trying not to think about how frighteningly strong Frisk could be, if the occasion called for it. Frisk seemed to be talking to themselves as much as him, so Asriel just let them talk.

“Our lives could matter again, now. That was the whole point. But then…” Frisk chuckled without humour, shaking their head. Asriel tried not to blink as Frisk began to slowly walk towards him. “Can you believe it? I was the problem, ultimately. That was the worst part. I can’t stop myself. It’s not enough, for me to have a happy ending. It wasn’t enough, for me to have the love of all my friends and family. Nothing is ever going to satisfy me, is it?”

Frisk thumped down on Asriel’s chest with their fist. It was more like they were illustrating a point than fighting. Even so, it winded Asriel slightly.

“Isn’t that fucked up? Determined enough to fix things, too determined to leave them fixed. I can see it happening, even now, a Reset. I have to go, Az. Go far away, and find something new to fixate on, and keep on doing that until I’m dead, because otherwise I’m going to be a threat to… To everyone.”

Frisk’s fist slipped down, hanging limply at their side. They were so close now, Asriel could feel their breath on his shoulder. He didn’t dare move, standing his ground until the last.

“I’ve been… Outside this timeline from the start, haven’t I? This was always coming. I have to remove myself from it, so that it can continue without me. So that you can go on and actually have a future. And you deserve that, Az. You’re something special, you know that? I spent so long trying to give you this life, this second chance. And once I got you here, I just… Took you. Like you belonged to me.”

Frisk’s breathing was ragged and uneven. Tears started to stain the black paint on the stage floor, but Frisk didn’t even seem to notice.

“B-but don’t kid yourself! I only wanted you because I couldn’t have you. That’s how I work, that’s how my damage is. And, and it hurts, to be so greedy, to see that greed twist you. The more you love me back, the more it hurts. You say you want me to stay, and that just makes me want to run away from this, from what I’ve done to you. The more I think about it the worse I feel, about this sin, about what I’ve done. I can tell, I can’t live with the guilt. This world is slipping away from me.”

Frisk stopped, rubbing at their face limply, their voice cracking.

“I’ll… I’ll fix it. I’ll undo the wrong I did to you. I’ll save you, one last time, and I’ll do it properly this time. When I go back, I’ll rescue you one more time, and then you and your family can be happy together and I’ll just… I’ll just go. I’ve always been an outsider, forcing my way in because I know just what to say. If you forget me, you’ll be better off. You’ll be free, finally.”

Frisk sobbed, once, trying to hold it back.

“T-this is what I am, Az. This is what Determination is.”

Unable to stand it any longer, Asriel hugged Frisk fiercely. They tensed up, shocked. For a moment, they were still, and then they struggled, pushing at Asriel’s chest.

“W-what are you doing! Stop! Let go of me!”

Frisk managed to squirm free, shaking and sniffing.

“Y-you need to get away from me!”

Asriel waited, still blocking the exit. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“D-do you know why I have to do this? It’s, it’s because you’re special, Az. You deserve better than me. You know what this is like. You might be the only other person alive who understands why I have to go. I… I love you so much, it terrifies me. I want you to be happy, so much, and this is the only way I know how. So… Please…”

Frisk stepped close, pushing up against Asriel with both hands.

“G-get out of the way…”

Asriel felt the wetness of Frisk’s tears on his shoulder.

“And just let me go.”

Asriel hugged Frisk again, more gently this time. They crumpled against him, limp and sobbing.

“I… I’m afraid, Az. I’ve been alone for so long.”

Asriel gently caressed the back of Frisk’s head. “Ssssh. You don’t have to be alone, not anymore.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. You don’t want to go, but you know you can’t stay, and it’s tearing you apart. I know what that’s like, Frisk. I lived it, remember? The weight of that feeling, the weight of Determination… It’s heavy, isn’t it?”

Frisk swallowed wetly, nodding.

“But, well, you don’t know what you want. You don’t know what to do. Your heart and your mind are pulling you in different directions, and you’re just not sure. But I’m more sure than I’ve ever been, Frisk.”

Asriel pulled Frisk back a little, taking a good look at them. Frisk brushed some hair out of their eyes, sniffing, suddenly self conscious at how bloodshot and snotty they must look. It made Asriel smile.

“Determination can make you obsessed. It can twist you. I understand that, and it’s ok. You’ve done nothing wrong, and even if you had, I’d still forgive you. I care about you too, Frisk, enough that it terrifies me as well.”

Asriel brandished the locket he had been holding. Frisk’s eyes never moved from it as he undid the clasp and fastened it around Frisk’s neck.

“But… Isn’t that a good thing? We can be scared together. I’d like that, if you’d do that with me. I want it, so much. And the thought of us, of a future with you, well… It makes me feel really Determined.”

Frisk’s eyes widened.

“I have it too, remember? I only lost the power to Reset because you were even more Determined than I was. But that was back then. You don’t have to worry about Resets, not anymore. Never again.”

Frisk concentrated, reaching for the power. It wasn’t there. It was gone.

“I’ll keep you safe now. I’ll protect you from it, this time. You can let that urge go. You can be free of it, now.”

Frisk looked shocked, and then disbelieving. Fresh tears welled up in their eyes, and they managed to smile before they surged forward, hugging Asriel so hard he thought his ribs would give way, giving what looked to be heaving, healing sobs into his shirt. Asriel smiled tiredly, resting one hand on Frisk’s head, holding them close.

By the time the rest of the band turned up, Frisk was fast asleep, dreaming of the future.

The End.

***

Epilogue.

“So, did it work?”

The tall figure didn’t speak. It never spoke. Chara was used to it.

“I mean, he’ll just have the same problem now, right? Or maybe not… I mean, if his Determination is caused by him wanting things to stay the same, maybe it’ll counteract the urge to move on. Or maybe it’ll all go to hell! I don’t know.”

Chara rolled over in midair, cradling their head in both hands. The tall figure turned slightly, looking at them. Chara stuck their tongue out.

“Who cares, really. It’s probably best not to overthink things too much. At the very least, Frisk was finally honest with Az! I was hoping the dream stuff would do that for me, but, well, I guess they had other things on their minds at the time. Oh well.”

The tall figure narrowed its eyes. At least, Chara hoped they were eyes. This could mean it was displeased, or angry. But, it could also mean it was laughing. Or, depending on the circumstances, hungry. Kinda hard to tell with expressionless mutes.

“Ehh, shut up. I’m done screwing with them anyway, it’s all up to those two now. It seems like there might actually be a point in existing now, too, seeing how time might actually continue now. Sorta makes me wonder what I’m gonna do next. It’s not like you get a manual when you die, no one has explained to me how to operate an afterlife.”

The tall figure gestured, something it did very infrequently. It pointed out, into the stars. Kind of out. It was tricky to describe, given their nonlinear natures.

“What, you think I should just go? Is there something out there for me as well?”

No response. Typical.

“Well I mean, what else am I gonna do, watch these sadsacks all day? Sounds kinda boring for an eternity, if you ask me. Maybe you’re onto something, mister. You keep doing the weird creepy mute guy thing, and maybe I’ll see you around. Later!”

Chara swam into the infinite sky, not really expecting to find anything but more sky.

***

“Chara?”

“Hmm?”

The small child looked up from their colouring book.

“We have some nice people here to see you. You remember, from the adoption agency?”

The small child nodded.

“Well, today you are very lucky. They’ve bought a nice couple, a human and a monster, and they’re looking for someone to adopt and take home and look after! I have a good feeling about this one. It’s like it was meant to be.”

The small child nodded again. Yes, this felt right.

Everything was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to finish this! I dunno what I'm going to do after this but I appreciate you all reading and being patient. If you like my work enough to read something that isn't Undertale related, I'm (very infrequently) trying to put out original work as twines at http://philome.la/twitakare ! And if you're looking for some Smut, There's a small repository of that located at http://pastebin.com/u/Motifanon , in addition to some other stuff I don't have the mental acuity to clean up and post here. Thank you for your time!


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